Desperate Marriage
by x.Chrissy.x
Summary: Hermione and Draco enter a marriage out of desperation. Will it work or will their strong willed personalities tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Desperate Marriage**

Hermione ran down the hall of the Ministry with tears in her eyes. Her normally tame wavy brown hair was everywhere as if she had just run a marathon. "I can't believe that jerk!" She mumbled angrily as she made her way to her office.

"Watch out!" Someone yelled as she felt herself collide with something hard. She fell and hit her bum hard against the ground. "Geez Granger, what is your problem?!"

She looked up to see steely gray eyes looking down at her. Her eyes got wide as the tears started to fall down her cheeks. "Malfoy..." She whispered, realization dawning upon her.

"Granger?" Draco Malfoy said uncertainly. He took a step back to give her some room to get up.

"Malfoy, we need to talk." She said slowly as she got up from the floor. She wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her robe and saw a confused look across his face.

"What about?" He asked, his eyebrows knit in confusion. "I already put the report on your desk."

"Not about that." She said. "Please come with me to my office." She asked in a pleading voice.

He nodded and followed her to her office where he closed the door behind her. He couldn't understand her behavior. She had just gone home for lunch when she returned crying. It was certainly out of character for her to lose her head at work. He wouldn't call them friends but certainly after working together for 5 years he could say they were somewhat acquaintances. He still didn't particularly like her but he didn't hate her like he did in school.

"Malfoy, sit down. You're not going to believe what I'm about to tell you." Hermione said, grabbing a tissue from her desk as she sat down.

Draco sat down across from her and looked at her intently. What could this possibly do with him?

Hermione took a deep breath. "Malfoy, I went home for lunch today, thinking no one would be there since Ron was at work." She looked down at her hands for a moment before continuing. "Well, I was wrong, Ron was home...and he wasn't alone."

Realization dawned upon Draco's face as he understood what she was telling him. She caught her fiancé cheating on her.

"I'm sorry Granger, but how is this my concern?" He asked more coldly than he planned to.

She sniffled and looked back up at him. "He was with...Astoria." She said slowly. "They didn't see me. I ran out after I saw them and they never saw me."

Draco's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "You must have this wrong, Granger." He said quickly. "Astoria would never do that to me. We're getting married in a few weeks!" He practically shouted.

Hermione's eyes welled with tears again. "I'm sorry Draco, but I know it was her." She grabbed another tissue and wiped her eyes. She conjured up a bottle and put her wand to her temple. She pulled out a silvery string and put it into the bottle. "You can check my memory in the pensieve but I promise I'm not making this up." She handed the bottle to Draco.

He took the bottle and held it tightly in his hands. "Let's go, then." They both stood up and made their way down the hall. One of the benefits to working for the Ministry of Magic was having access to just about anything they needed.

They turned into a room and Hermione shut the door behind her. She put a silencing charm on the room while Draco grabbed a pensieve off the shelf and placed it on the table that was in the middle of the room. He dumped her memory in and placed his face into the cool water.

He felt himself falling when he suddenly saw a door in front of him. He followed Hermione, walking through the door and noticing a handbag on the couch. He knew right away that it was Astoria's handbag. He felt himself not want to go any farther but the memory continued. She had looked in the kitchen, the living room, and then was walking up the stairs to what he presumed was the bedroom. Then he heard distinct noises, noises that made her pause at the top of the stairs. She made her way to the bedroom and reluctantly he looked in where he saw a sight he never thought was possible. They were on the bed, oblivious to her presence, going at it like rabbits. He watched as she put her hand to her mouth and ran back down the stairs and out the door. He felt himself being pulled and then he was standing in front of the pensieve soaking in all that he just saw.

"Bloody hell..." Draco said as he ran his hand through his light blond hair.

Hermione watched as a barrage of emotions went through his face. First shock, then sadness and then anger. "I'm sorry Malfoy, but I wasn't lying."

"Obviously." He spat. He looked at her and his face softened as he realized she was in the same position. "Your wedding is next week, right?" He asked softly.

"It was." She said. "It certainly isn't going to happen now. I'd rather marry a stranger." She said angrily.

Another realization hit him then. The marriage law. The bloody marriage law. A few years ago a marriage law was passed. Depending on the year you graduated Hogwarts (or should have graduated for those busy in the War) determined what year you needed to be married by. For example, those who graduated in May 1998 had until September 2005 to be married. If you were not married by then, the Ministry then assigned you to another unmarried wizard or witch whom you were to marry under penalty of law. This was to ensure the population of the wizarding community after the War. No one thought too much about it since there was no stipulation on who they had to marry, just that they had to marry. But a lot of people put it off to the end, hence the reason his nuptials had been planned for August. He imagined Hermione did the same.

"Merlin...I am not marrying some random stranger who couldn't find someone to marry in the first place!" Draco whined.

Hermione looked at him knowingly. "I know Malfoy. The prospect seems awful but it still has to be better than marrying a cheating git." She said despairingly.

Draco looked at her when an idea popped into his head. "Why don't we get married? Being married to you has got to be better than some old maid." He said suddenly.

She gaped at him. "Have you lost your mind, Malfoy?! We don't even like each other!" She yelled. "That is a ridiculous idea!"

"Look, what are our options? Get married to someone you don't know and that probably didn't get married because no one wants them or get married to someone you do know and can at least somewhat tolerate." An evil smirk crossed his face suddenly. "And we have the benefit of dumping our cheating significant others and telling them we left them for each other."

"Malfoy, really how childish..." Hermione began to say as she started to think about the position she was in. She needed to be married in a month otherwise she'd probably be given to some wizard who isn't attractive in any sense of the word. There was no way she would stay with the cheating bastard she currently called her fiancé. And it would be kind of fun to see him squirm when she told him she was leaving him for Malfoy. A sly smile started to grace her face as she thought about his face paling when she told him she knew he was cheating and that Malfoy was better than his cheating ass. "Ok, Malfoy...I can see your reasoning." She said slowly. "But there are conditions."

"Conditions? Like what?" Draco said, waiting upon the terms she would put on their marriage.

"I will not be a house wife. You will have to start paying your house elves. And you can't argue with having my friends over whenever I please." She said, ticking off her demands off her fingers. "We will consider this more of a desperate measure than a marriage."

Draco frowned at her demands. "Well, I have some terms of my own. You will take my last name. We will live in the manor." He said thinking as fast as he could of bargaining items. "Oh, and I will require an heir."

Hermione frowned at the last statement. "An heir? Together?"

"Yes, together. If you will be my wife, I will need a son to carry my name." He said sternly.

"But that means..." She said her face turning into a look of disgust as she realized what exactly that entailed.

"I am well aware of how to create a child, Granger." He smirked. "The manor is large, we won't have to be together much other than meals really. You'll have access to all my money. You will have the recognition that the Malfoy name brings. But you must be willing to have children."

She thought about the pros and cons of the situation. She really didn't have a choice. "Fine, Malfoy. But I don't want people to think this is a marriage of desperation. We both have images to uphold. I want this to seem real to the public." She said thinking about how the press would eat them alive if they found out it was a sham marriage.

"Agreed." He held out his hand and she shook it quickly. "We need to dump our current intendeds and set our wedding date. It'll be fun to see them scramble to get married. I seriously doubt Astoria would ever consider marrying a Weasley."

Hermione smiled at the thought of Ron scrambling for a partner. "Well, I was supposed to be married next week. You were supposed to be married three. Why don't we get married in two weeks then?" She suggested.

"That's fine with me." He agreed.

"Now how do we break up with our current partners?" She wondered out loud.

"I might have some ideas..." Draco smirked, the idea of vengeance filling his head.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, here's my new story. Lets see where it takes us, shall we? Please review and let me know what you think! Happy New Year! ~Chrissy**


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione went home that night with a plan. But unfortunately, the plan didn't take effect until the day before she was supposed to be married. She felt slightly bad for what she was going to do, but rationalized it with the hurt and pain she had felt today. For the plan to work, she needed to act like nothing was wrong. She had stayed at work as late as she could, putting off going home to Ron. She held her head up high as she walked through the door of her apartment.

"Hello 'Mione!" She heard Ron yell from the living room as she came into the apartment.

"Hello, Ron." She said, swallowing the lump in her throat. She didn't think seeing him again would be so hard.

"How was your day?" He asked as she put her coat on the coat rack and walked into the living room.

"Fine. Busy. You know how it is." She said attempting to smile, attempting to act like everything was okay. "Yours?"

"Oh, same old same old." He said from the couch. He was watching television but had muted it when she came in. "George just hired a new guy so I've been helping train him today. I didn't even have time to take a lunch! I'm starved!" He smiled up at her and patted his stomach for emphasis.

_You lying bastard._She thought to herself. _I'm sure you didn't have time for lunch with what you were doing._ She scowled but quickly wiped it from her face. "Of course, I brought take out." She said walking out and then back with a bag full of Chinese food. There was no way she'd ever cook for him again.

"Thanks! You're the best!" He said jumping off the couch and grabbing the bag from her. "Are you coming?" He asked as he went into the kitchen and sat down.

"Oh, I'm not really hungry tonight." She said waving her hand. "Go on, eat up. I think I'm going to read a book and head to bed early tonight."

Ron looked up at her and shrugged. "Okay, sleep well then." He said as he opened up a container and started to eat.

Hermione went into the bedroom and closed the door. She leaned against it and let out a deep breath. _This is going to be harder than I thought._ She changed into her pajamas and grabbed the book from her nightstand. She opened the book and stared at the pages but couldn't get herself to actually read the words. Her mind kept going back to today's events. Silent tears slipped down her cheeks and she wiped them away.

She put the book down, turned out the lights and slid under the covers, pulling them up to her chin. She closed her eyes praying that sleep would take her but after half an hour it was obvious that wasn't going to happen. All she could think about was the memory of Ron with someone else and she tried really hard to not think of the fact that she would have to marry Draco Malfoy instead. She shuddered at the thought. She sat back up, pulled out a bottle of sleeping draught from her nightstand and took a swig of it. She put it away and laid back down. She could feel the draught starting to work when she heard the bedroom door open. She felt Ron get into bed and he put his arm around her. She stiffened up, disgusted at him touching her but the draught finally took hold and she fell promptly asleep.

******

Draco stumbled into his London flat, piss drunk and eternally grateful that he and Astoria decided not to move in together until after the wedding. They figured there was no point if they were going to move into the Manor, anyway.

He stumbled into his study where he fell unceremoniously onto his leather recliner. A crack got his attention and saw a house elf in front of him handing him a blue bottle.

"A potion for when yous been drinking too much, Master." He said as he bowed.

Draco nodded and took the bottle from his hand. He looked at it then gulped down the entire contents. Instantly his head felt a little better and he knew the hangover tomorrow would not be that bad. "Anything else, Bixby?"

Bixby nodded. "Master, mistress Astoria was here."

Draco tensed at her name. "What did she want?"

"She said she hoped to have dinner with you." Bixby continued. "But when you not come home, she left you a note." He pulled out a piece of parchment and handed it to Draco.

Draco took it and felt his hand tighten around the paper, almost crushing it. "That will be all, Bixby."

The elf nodded and apparated away. After a minute, Draco was able to open his hand and take the piece of parchment out.

_Dearest Draco,_

_I suppose you had to work late tonight but I was so hoping to see you. I have missed you the past couple of days and can't wait until we are married. Please promise to have dinner with me soon?_

_All my love,_

_Astoria_

Draco crumpled the piece of parchment into a ball and promptly threw it into the fireplace. _The nerve of her, coming here after sleeping with someone else._ He couldn't wait to get rid of her, even if it meant binding his life to Hermione Granger. _Anything would be better than being with an adulterous witch._ He felt his eyelids start to droop as he reclined back in his chair and soon he was fast asleep.

*******

Hermione was getting ready in front of a mirror, full of nervous energy. She had spent the last week living with Ron, pretending like everything was great. She was getting ready for her rehearsal dinner, where she would expose him for what he really was - a cheating ass. She felt slightly guilty about what she was about to do to him but every time he touched her or told her he loved her, it strengthened her resolve that he was nothing but a lying scoundrel.

"Are you ready?" She heard Ron yell from the living room. "We need to be there in 10 minutes!"

She looked at herself in the mirror, dressed and ready and walked out of the room.

"You looked beautiful, 'Mione." Ron said as he kissed her cheek.

She felt her skin crawl at the contact but she forced a smile on her face. "Thank you. Now, let's go." She said walking towards the fireplace.

They floo'd to the restaurant that their rehearsal dinner was being held and walked into a room full of friends and family. Hermione almost felt her knees go out from under her when she saw everyone smiling at the "happy" couple. _You can do this Hermione. Stick to the plan._

They got to the table in the front of the room and sat down, looking out at everything. Harry and Ginny were smiling at her from the table to their left while their parents were sitting to their right. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"It's okay, 'Mione. Nothing to be nervous about. It'll be over soon. I love you and only you." Ron said in her ear. She tensed up and scowled. _How dare he say such things after all he has done. _She felt her resolve harden so she stood up and clinked her fork against her glass.

"Thank you everyone for coming here tonight. It is a very important night in both our lives." She started as everyone turned to listen. She licked her lips as she continued the speech she had planned out. "However, before we start our celebration, I would like to share with you all a very important memory that has affected our relationship tremendously."

Everyone murmured about how sweet it was that she put in all this effort. Ron was smiling as he pat Hermione's hand in what he thought was a reassuring gesture.

Hermione walked in front of the table and conjured up a screen behind the table Ron was now sitting at alone. The memory started to play exactly as it did in the pensieve. She could see Ron's face turn to confusion and then to panic as he saw her climbing the stairs. At the point where Hermione looked into the bedroom she heard everyone in the room gasp.

The memory finished and Ron was as red as a tomato. "Hermione..." He started but was quickly cut off.

"Family, friends, that memory is from a week ago. I hope you will now understand why I cannot marry the man sitting in front of me." She said, strengthened by watching the memory again. She slowly slid her engagement ring off her hand and placed it on the table.

"Ron! How could you?!" Ginny stood from her seat. Harry put his arm around her and sat her back down.

"I expected better from you." Harry said glaring at Ron.

Both sets of parents were in shock, their mouths gaping open. Molly recovered first. "Ronald Weasley! I know I raised you better than this!"

Just then Ron stood up and ran over to Hermione. He fell to his knees as he grabbed her hand. "'Mione. Please forgive me. It was just once! I was nervous! It was cold feet! It'll never happen again!" He rambled trying to think of every excuse he could.

Hermione ripped her hand away. "Never. I will never marry you, Ronald Weasley."

Ron stood up, panic turning to anger. "You can't leave me. We have three weeks before the law takes effect. You have to marry me!" He yelled while everyone watched with growing interest. "Otherwise you'll marry some worthless stranger! I'm all you have and you know it!"

Hermione glared at him, anger coursing through her veins. "You're wrong, you cheating bastard. I don't have to marry you." She spat. She turned to the crowd. "In case you didn't see who his partner was, it happened to be Astoria Greengrass." She heard the room gasp again. "When I found out about this...infidelity, I went straight to her unaware fiancé." She turned back to Ron, to watch his reaction. "I shall be marrying Draco Malfoy next weekend."

Ron's face turned a brighter shade of red and his hands balled into fists. "You can't marry that ferret!" Ron yelled at the top of his lungs. "You will marry me!"

Harry and George then got up and restrained Ron as he continued to yell. "You can't do this to me!"

Hermione turned around to address the room. "Malfoy and I will be having a fairly small wedding in a week. Of course, you are all welcome to come if you'd like. Let me know and I'll send you the details." She turned to the Weasleys and she gave them a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I have always felt like part of your family. I'm so sorry that this had to happen." She said sincerely.

"It's not your fault." Arthur Weasley replied. "We all understand."

"Yea, my brother is a bloody idiot!" George yelled from behind a struggling Ron.

"Thank you all for coming. I must go now." Hermione said as tears started to leak from her eyes. She ran from the room and she heard footsteps coming up behind her.

As she ran into the hallway, she felt someone grab her arm.

"Hermione." She turned around and looked into Harry's green eyes. She felt her resolve break then and she sobbed in his arms. "Shh...it's ok." He said as he stroked her hair.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't plan this." She said into his shirt.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure you did." He replied as she looked up and saw him smile. "That was quite the production in there."

She gave him a small smile. "I just wanted everyone to know the truth." She said quietly. "And he deserved it."

"Are you really going to marry Malfoy?" He asked seriously.

She nodded her head. "I don't really have a choice. It's him or some random stranger."

Harry frowned. "I suppose that might be true." He said grudgingly. "I'll come by in a couple days and we'll talk about it, okay?"

Hermione nodded and smiled slightly. "I'd like that."

"Okay, why don't you go home and get some sleep." Harry said wiping the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of his robe. "I'll make sure Ron goes to the Burrow tonight."

Hermione nodded and gave Harry one last hug. She found her way to the fireplace and floo'd home. She promptly put herself to bed and cried herself to sleep. But despite all the pain and suffering, she felt slightly relieved that it was over.

*****

Draco was sitting at the breakfast table, eating a scone and reading the paper, when a smile crossed his face as he read the society section. He put down the paper and patiently waited. He didn't have to wait long because soon he heard someone running down the hall and Astoria burst into the room.

"What is the meaning of this?!" She screamed as she threw the paper on to the table.

Draco looked down and saw a picture of Hermione and a picture of himself, side by side with the headline, "A Malfoy Granger Wedding?!"

He smiled. "What about it?" He asked nonchalantly.

"What about it? What about it?!" She screamed incredulously. "You're not really going to marry _her_, are you?! You're engaged to me!!"

Draco then stood up and went over to her. "Well, seeing that you are an adulterous whore, I do believe I am." He said coolly.

Astoria's mouth gaped open. Apparently she hadn't gotten past the headlines and she quickly grabbed the paper and scanned the article. He watched as the look on her face went from anger to panic and then to desperation.

"But, but, Draco dear...you must know that I love you!" She pleaded. "Who will I marry if not you??"

"That is not my problem." He said disgusted. "You might have thought about that prior to shagging a red-headed weasel."

"And this is how you end things?! This is how you tell me?!" She yelled, anger creeping back into her voice.

He looked at her then, at how frazzled and desperate she seemed. Relief washed over him at not having to marry this person in front of him. "Yes. Now you can remove yourself from the premises."

"No. This is not over." She said staunchly.

Draco started to feel the anger wash over him again. "Yes, it is. Now remove yourself or I will remove you but I am giving you the chance to leave with at least a little bit of dignity which is more than you deserve." He spat.

She narrowed her eyes at him before turning on her heel and stomping out of the room. He heard the door slam shut and he sat back down and took a deep breath. _Thank Merlin that's over._

"Bixby!" He called as the elf popped up in front of him.

"Yes, Master?" The elf bowed in front of him.

"Call all the wedding vendors and tell them the wedding is off." He commanded.

"Yes, Master." Bixby said as he apparated away.

Draco ran his hand through his hair. _One wedding canceled. One wedding to plan._ He shuddered at the idea of marrying Hermione Granger. But what choice did he have? _I can think about that tomorrow. Today I'll live my last day of freedom._

Just then, Bixby apparated in front of him. "Yes?" Draco asked impatiently.

"Master Draco, Lord and Lady Malfoy be in the study." Bixby said nervously.

Draco groaned. It looked like it was going to be a long day after all.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so I usually don't update this quickly, but this chapter was dying to get out of my head. The fun is just beginning! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Please, keep reviewing!! It gives me more motivation to keep on writing. More reviews = faster chapters. :-) I really try to come up with original storylines for these two...so I'm glad you all like it so far.**

**~Chrissy**


	3. Chapter 3

Draco walked into his study and saw his parents sitting on the loveseat. His father's face was set into a scowl and his mother's mouth was a thin line. They turned their heads toward him as he entered the room and just sat in silence.

"Father, Mother, what a surprise it is to see you today." Draco said, trying to be as diplomatic as possible.

"Is it really, son?" Lucius Malfoy challenged. He took out a paper that he must have set on the loveseat and threw it to the ground. "What is the meaning of this?"

Draco sighed. "Father, I will not have a wife who is unfaithful." He tried to explain.

"I understand that, Draco dear, but a mudblood? Surely, there must be another choice." Narcissa said in a calm and cool tone.

"Look! I'm not terribly thrilled about the prospect either but I don't have a choice!" Draco countered. "I have three weeks until the deadline. Three weeks! I might be set up with a mudblood anyway!"

Lucius stood up, his hands balling into fists. "This is unacceptable!" He yelled. "You are a Malfoy. "

Narcissa grabbed Lucius' hand and pulled him back down to the couch. "Draco, surely we have enough money and power to find you a suitable girl in a few weeks." She rationalized.

"Mother, I've thought about it. There are no other options. I refuse to marry someone I don't know." Draco argued.

"You listen here, son. You will not tarnish the family line with a mudblood." Lucius threatened.

"What about a half blood, Draco? If you can't find a pureblood, then maybe a half blood will do." Naricssa said trying to compromise.

Draco raked his hand through his hair. "Look, I've made up my mind. We shall be getting married next weekend. I know I can at least somewhat tolerate her and our children at the very least shall be brilliant."

"Children?" Narcissa's ears perked up at the idea of being a grandmother. "She has agreed to have your children?"

"Yes, Mother. We have certain stipulations upon this marriage." Draco said, taking advantage of his mother's desire for grandchildren.

"What kind of stipulations?" Lucius asked.

"Well, she must take the Malfoy name and live in the Manor. And she must also bear my children until we have an heir." Draco explained.

"And what does she get?" Lucius asked.

"She gets to keep her job at the Ministry and have her friends over when she pleases. She also wants me to pay our house elves." Draco said wincing at the last one.

"That seems somewhat fair." Narcissa nodded, her head still filled with the pitter patter of little feet.

"So, neither of you particularly want this marriage?" Lucius prodded.

"No. Not really. But the choices are limited and time is running out." Draco said exasperated.

Narcissa looked up suddenly. She sighed but agreed. "I suppose she will have to do, then. She will have to learn how to throw parties and do things that are expected of the next Lady Malfoy."

Draco's knitted his eyebrows together. He didn't know how she would take to that; having to host balls, throw parties and be a member of pureblood society. "I will discuss that with her, Mother." He responded.

"No." Narcissa said with a sly smile upon her face. "Let me. When will we be formally introduced?"

"We hadn't thought about that, Mother." Draco said.

"Fine then. Tomorrow night, be at the Manor for dinner." Narcissa said as she stood up. "Come along, Lucius. There's plenty to do before the weekend."

Lucius scowled at Draco but stood up anyway. "You better know what you're doing, son." He swept away and followed his wife into the floo.

Draco plopped into his chair. Perhaps he needed to see Hermione today after all.

*********

Hermione sat at her kitchen table, drinking a cup of tea. She rubbed her temples as she thought about the morning she just had. Her parents had called bright and early, waking her up at some ridiculous hour. They wanted to make sure she was okay after the fiasco the night before and if she was sure she wanted to marry this other fellow. They didn't agree with the whole idea of a marriage law but understood that she had made her choice to stay in the Wizarding World. After she reassured them that she knew what she was doing they told her that they wanted to meet the new guy before she got married to him. She groaned but agreed saying that she would call them back to let them know when. She could only imagine how Draco was going to take that.

After sitting on the phone for over an hour with her parents, explaining everything that happened, she got a floo from Ginny making sure everything was okay. She reassured her that everything was alright and Ginny confirmed that Harry would stop by tomorrow to talk to her as he had promised last night.

After talking to her, she took her wand and packed up all of Ron's belongings into boxes. She didn't want to touch anything of his, choosing to use magic to get everything packed and was done with that in an hour and a half. All the boxes were neatly stacked in the guest bedroom. She thought about how she was going to have to pack her things in a few short days. She was exhausted and it was only noon.

She sipped her tea and reclined in her chair. Today should have been her wedding day. But it wasn't and she had a whole other wedding to plan. A knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts and she got up and went to her door.

"Malfoy?" She asked as she opened the door. "How do you even know where I live?"

"That's neither here nor there." He said dismissively. "May I come in?"

Hermione stepped to the side and he came through the door and straight into the living room. He removed his coat and sat on the couch as she closed the door. _Never thought Malfoy would be sitting in my living room, that's for sure._ She thought to herself as she went into the kitchen to retrieve her tea.

"Would you like some tea, Malfoy?" She called from the kitchen.

"Uh, sure. That would be fine." He said trying to be cordial.

She walked out with two cups of tea and set his in front of him on the coffee table before sitting on the loveseat across from him.

"So, I guess we should talk some things through, huh?" She started tentatively.

"That is why I am here." He said while taking a sip of his tea. "Good God, Granger! You call this tea?!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's green tea. I happen to like it." She defended.

Draco put his cup back down and eyed her wearily. "It's a good thing I have house elves to make my tea."

Hermione ignored his attack on her tea and attempted to get through this conversation without fighting with him. "So, anyway, what would you like to talk about?"

"Oh yes." Draco said as he leaned back in the couch. "We need to discuss the wedding and such."

"What about it?" Hermione asked.

"Well, Granger, we haven't even started planning and we have a week. We better get on it." He said. "I can reschedule my vendors from my previous wedding plans to this coming weekend if you'd like."

She nodded her head. "Let me look through what they can do and I'll customize it, but that will probably be the easiest way to go." She fidgeted as she thought about how to bring up her parents. "Oh, by the way, my parents have requested to have dinner with us sometime this week. They would like to meet you." Hermione braced herself for what she was sure going to be a resounding no but was surprised when it didn't come.

"I suppose that is necessary." He said slowly. "My parents have requested us at dinner tomorrow night."

Hermione winced. The idea of going to dinner with his parents made her very nervous. But she supposed that it was only fair. "Okay, Malfoy. I suppose that's fair."

Draco nodded. "I need to warn you. My mother plans on talking to you about the role of being a Malfoy lady."

At that she felt herself get annoyed. "Is she implying that I am not a lady?!"

Draco smirked. "Well, certainly not a Malfoy lady. How many balls and parties have you had to plan for a hundred or so guests?"

Hermione paled. She hadn't thought about what it meant to marry into the Malfoy family. "Will I really have to do that?"

"It's part of being in that kind of society. You will need to uphold the Malfoy name." Draco responded.

"Well, thanks for the warning, I suppose." She said as she was slowly hit with the real meaning of marrying a Malfoy. She suddenly dreaded tomorrow night's dinner a lot more. "How did they take the engagement?"

"Not well." Draco said honestly. "I'm not sure what to expect from dinner tomorrow."

"My parents are skeptical as well." She said. "I'll tell them we'll do dinner on Tuesday?"

Draco nodded. "Oh, before I forget, I have something for you." He said as he reached into his pocket.

Draco handed her a small box and she took it curiously. "What is it?" She asked as she opened the box to find a ridiculously large diamond ring.

"If we're going to be married, you need a ring." Draco said matter-of-factly.

Hermione was speechless. "Was that this, um, Astoria's?" She asked carefully as she pulled the ring out.

Draco scowled. "No. That…" He took a deep breath. "…woman kept her ring. I picked this one up on the way over here." He looked at the ring. "I hope it is suitable."

Hermione put the ring on and it twinkled in the light. It had to be easily 3 carats. "It's beautiful Malfoy. Thank you." She said sincerely.

Draco was taken back a bit by the sincerity in her voice. "It was nothing." He said off-handedly. "As my wife, you will become accustomed to the best."

Hermione fidgeted uncomfortably at the thought of becoming his wife. "Other than our parents, and perhaps Harry and Ginny, will there be anyone else who knows that this marriage isn't quite real?"

"Oh it will be real, Granger." He said. "We might not like each other much, but it will certainly be real."

Hermione shifted her weight. "Well, yes, it'll be certainly legal and all."

"Blaise. I will more than likely tell him the truth. But that will be it on my end." He answered.

She nodded. "Okay. So, Malfoy, you realize that it's a binding ceremony, right? We will have to always stay together."

Draco looked at her like she had grown 2 heads. "I'm aware, Granger. The law calls for a magically binding ceremony."

She nodded her head again. She was starting to feel like a bobble head doll. "Do you really think we can do this?"

"Do we have a choice?" He countered.

She sighed. "No. I guess we don't."

Draco sat up. "Look Granger. It's not like I particularly want to tarnish my bloodlines by marrying a…muggleborn. But we do what we have to."

Hermione glared at him. "How dare you insult me like that!" Hermione yelled feeling her anger rising.

Draco looked confused. "What? I said 'muggleborn' not mudblood." He said defending himself, not understanding why she was so angry. He had even managed to not call her a mudblood.

"Oh, well thank you then." Hermione said sarcastically. "It's not like you weren't insulting my blood status anyway."

"I'm just telling the truth, Granger. No need to get your knickers in a twist." He said defensively. "You're the first non-pureblood in our family!"

"Get out, Malfoy!" She screamed standing up. "I will not stand for your arrogant, asinine, idiotic, and completely unfounded superiority complex!

Malfoy narrowed his eyes at her and stood up. "It's not a complex when it's true." He smirked. He threw a piece of parchment on the table. "That's my address, be there at 6pm tomorrow to floo to the Manor." He then turned and walked out the door.

She fell back on to the couch and put her head in her hands. _What am I getting myself into? Am I really going to marry such a pig-headed, arrogant arse?_ She wondered. She felt something cold against her temple and looked down at her new engagement ring. She took it off and threw it against the wall in frustration. She took a deep breath and sighed. _The rest of your life, Hermione. He is going to be your husband for the rest of your life._ She sighed again as she stood up and retrieved the ring. She put it on the coffee table figuring she didn't need to wear it around the house.

********

Malfoy apparated back to his flat and felt the need to punch a wall. He went into his study and paced as he tried to calm himself down.

"What a selfish bint." He said to himself as he was pacing. "Doesn't she realize the sacrifices I have to make in order to marry her? Doesn't she realize that I'm ruining generations and generations of pureblood lines because of her?" He grew more and more agitated as he thought about all the things he was giving up for this marriage. "Doesn't she realize that I am throwing away my children's pureblood status?!" Finally he grabbed a pillow off the loveseat and hurled it against a wall.

He flopped down in his recliner, feeling a little bit better. He shook his head. "How the hell will I be able to do this for the rest of my life?" He wondered aloud.

* * *

**A/N: I am on a roll! Haha. Anyway, thank you everyone for your reviews! They're so encouraging! Please don't stop! I don't think I'll be able to keep up this pace, but we'll see how it goes. Hope you enjoy this chapter. ~Chrissy**


	4. Chapter 4

Harry walked through the floo into Hermione's living room. "Hermione?" Harry called out.

"I'll be right there Harry!" She called from the other room. "I just got out of the shower."

"Take your time!" Harry looked around the familiar room when something caught his eye on the coffee table. He reached over and picked up the diamond ring, his eyes widening at the size of it. Hermione walked into the room while he was inspecting the ring.

"Hi Harry." She said as she watched him stare at her ring.

"What's this?" Harry asked, handing the ring over to her.

"Oh, right, that, well, you see, that's my, uh, that's my engagement ring." She said nervously as she put it on her finger.

"Malfoy gave this to you?" He asked incredulously.

"Yes, he did." She answered. "Yesterday."

"So, you're really going to do it? You're really going to marry the ferret?" He asked quietly.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Yes, I am." She knew that she had to be certain. She couldn't be unsure. If Harry saw her waiver, he would try to talk her out of it.

Harry let out a breath and rubbed his temples. "How did this happen, Hermione?" He asked as he sat on the couch.

She sat on the couch next to him and patted his knee. "Well, you see, after I found out about Ron's…indiscretions, I ran back to my office. On the way, I literally ran into Malfoy. When I saw him, I realized I needed to tell him what I saw. After showing him my memory, we had agreed that getting married to each other was better than chancing it on a Ministry assigned spouse." She explained as well as she could.

Harry looked over at her. "What about us? Will he not let you see us anymore?"

Hermione laughed at that. "Of course not, Harry!" She assured him. "We have certain stipulations on our marriage."

Harry cocked an eyebrow at that. "Stipulations? Like what?"

"Well, he promised that I could have any friends I wanted over at the Manor and that he would pay his house elves. Oh, and that I could keep my job." She explained.

Harry eyes widened. "You're going to live at the Manor?!" He gasped.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I know. Not ideal, but that was one of his stipulations. Besides, the Manor is big enough that I probably wouldn't need to see him for days."

"What other stipulations did he have?" Harry asked skeptically.

"Well, other than living in the Manor, he insists that I take his last name." Hermione said not particularly wanting to say the next part. "And, well, I promised him an heir."

"What?!" Harry yelled. "You're going to procreate with him?!"

Hermione sighed. "Yes, well, apparently, having children was very important to him." She explained. "And it's not like I wouldn't love to be a mum. I just didn't think it would be with Malfoy." Her eyes saddened at the last part. She did always want to have children. Just not particularly under these types of circumstances.

Harry's eyes softened. "I'm sorry Hermione. This must be really tough for you." Harry said as he put his arm around her. "I'm always here for you if you need me."

She nodded. "I know and thank you."

Harry straightened up and took both of her hands in his. "You know, the media is going to have a field day about this." He looked at her sincerely. "The fact that the marriage law caused an unwanted marriage is going to be newspaper fodder."

Hermione's head snapped up. "Oh, Harry. You must not tell anyone." She said quickly. "We're going to try to pass this off as a real wanted marriage to the public. We wouldn't want our children to have to deal with thinking that they were born out of a contractual agreement!" She pleaded with him.

He looked at her skeptically. "You really think you'll be able to convince the public that you're in love with Malfoy?"

She shook her head vigorously. "Oh, of course not. But we'd like to at least seem like we like each other and that we're growing to love each other, that at the very least we care for each other. We're not trying to look like the perfect marriage, Harry. "

Harry nodded slowly. "I suppose that might work, even if it isn't true."

Hermione's eyes started to well up with tears suddenly. "Oh, Harry, it wasn't supposed to be like this!" She cried into his shoulder. "If I could, I would just get up and leave Britain, but I couldn't leave all of you and my family forever. I just don't have a choice."

Harry patted her back soothingly. He really felt awful for her. He had married Ginny last month and he was supposed to be best man at her wedding to Ron. But he had thought through the situation for the last two days and couldn't come up with a better solution. He may have been able to rid the world of the darkest Wizard it had ever seen, but when it came to his best friend's heart, he felt powerless. "I'll be here, Hermione. I'll come visit often and you're always welcome to stay with us if you need to get away." He said trying to make her feel better.

Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes. "I know and thank you again." She said sitting back up. "I just need to get through this next week."

"And we'll all help you through it. You know the Weasleys' will help any way they can. They feel awful for what Ron did to you." Harry said.

Hermione's head snapped up. "Ron. How is he doing, anyway?" She asked trying not to sound like she was desperately hoping to hear that he was doing awful.

Harry sighed. "Not so good, I'm afraid." He said looking down at her. "Astoria refuses to marry him. She's a year younger, so she's not bound to the deadline like the rest of us." He explained. "Ron's going crazy trying to figure out what he's going to do."

Hermione couldn't help smiling. "Good. He deserves it."

"Yes, he does." Harry agreed. He usually didn't choose a side in fights between his two best friends but this time he couldn't back up Ron. He was, in fact, so angry at him that he hadn't even talked to him yet. He heard all his news through Ginny. "Ginny thinks he'll have to be assigned a wife through the Ministry."

Hermione's smile faltered a little. "You know, Harry, what Ron did was despicable. But I hope that he isn't completely miserable for the rest of his life."

Harry looked at his friend and smiled. "That's quite big of you, Hermione. But I hope so, too. But even more than that, I hope that you aren't miserable for the rest of your life."

She sighed. "Me too, Harry, me too." She looked down at her new engagement ring. "I have to go to the Manor tonight and formally meet his parents."

"Good luck with that." Harry said sympathetically. "Was the last time we were at the Manor not formal enough?"

Hermione shuddered at the memory of the last time she was at the Manor. The cruciatus curse was certainly as painful as everyone said it should be. Worst pain of her life didn't quite cover the amount of pain she went through that night.

Harry frowned we he saw her reaction. He was sure of what she was thinking about. "Sorry to bring that up."

"It's okay. I'm sure the memories will come back as soon as I walk through that door." She played with the ring, still not used to having such a large diamond on her finger. The ring Ron had given her was nice but much smaller. It was also more her style. She wasn't a big fan of the large solitaire; she really liked the three stone setting. But how was Malfoy supposed to know that?

"What are you wearing, tonight?" Harry asked looking at the jeans and t-shirt she had on.

"Oh, I don't know." Hermione said. "Maybe I'll wear a suit or a dress or something like that." She tried to think of her wardrobe.

Harry frowned. She definitely was in over her head. "Um, I would suggest dress robes, actually."

Hermione looked surprised for a moment. "Oh, I suppose you're right." She said as she realized how her life was going to change with this marriage. "I suppose they wouldn't appreciate muggle attire." She said ruefully.

Harry smiled a bit. "Probably not."

"I never thought I'd see the day where I'd care about what the Malfoys' thought." She shook her head.

"Yea, me neither." Harry agreed. "Well, listen, I better be going. Ginny's going to have dinner ready soon." He stood up and Hermione stood up as well. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "You'll do fine tonight. And remember, you're still Hermione Granger, brightest witch of our generation. Don't let them tell you otherwise."

"Thank you Harry. I really needed this." Hermione said as she hugged him back. "I better get ready. I need to get to Malfoy's soon."

Harry nodded and stepped into the floo. "I'll see you soon!" He called out before the flames turned green and he was gone.

Hermione went into her bedroom and opened her closet door. She peered at all her clothing and looked through her robes. Most of them were Ministry issued robes for work, she had kept her graduation robes from Hogwarts and she had a couple of dress robes for formal Ministry functions. She pulled out a set of deep purple robes and put them on her bed. She sighed. It was going to be quite the night.

*******************

Draco was pacing his flat. It was 5:55pm and he knew Hermione would be there shortly. He fidgeted with his robes, regretting not asking her to wear robes as well. He could only imagine the look on his parents' faces if she walked in wearing muggle clothing. He had no idea how this evening would go and he was not looking forward to it.

He heard a knock on the door and he quickly went over to it. He wouldn't allow Bixby to answer the door in case a muggle knocked on it. He did live in the Wizarding part of London, but he never knew who could come to his door. He opened it up to see Hermione standing there in long flowing formal robes. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Hermione watched him as he seemed to be relieved over something. She quirked an eyebrow. "May I come in, Malfoy?"

Draco stood to the side and let her by. He looked down to see the ring he bought her on her hand and she had a nice necklace and bracelet set on. Her hair went past her shoulders in soft waves and he nodded his approval. "You look nice, Granger."

Hermione looked at him skeptically. "You didn't think I would?"

"To be honest, I was worried about what you would choose to wear tonight." He said bluntly.

Hermione blushed a little. "Yes, well, Harry reminded me that robes would be best for this occasion." She admitted.

"Good to see Potter has a little bit of sense." He remarked. "Are you ready then?" He asked quickly before she had the chance to argue his last comment.

Her mouth had been open for a rebuttal but she shut it and nodded. "Ready as I will ever be, I suppose."

He looked at her for a moment considering his words for the next statement. "Look, Granger. My parents aren't thrilled about this and if we are going to get through this night, we need to not be at each other's throats. We're going to need to be civil and at least show that we want to do this otherwise they'll spend the entire night trying to talk us out of it. "

Hermione nodded. "I understand. It'll be the same way at my parents' place as well. Let's consider it practice for how we want to portray ourselves to the public."

"Okay then, let's go." Draco agreed.

They floo'd to the Manor and found themselves in the study with a house elf in front of them. "Master, Miss, please follow me. Lord and Lady be in the sitting room."

They followed the house elf down the hallway to another door. As Hermione looked around, memories started to whirl around in her head but she did her best to push them down. They entered the sitting room where Lucius and Narcissa were sitting on the couch together. They looked up at them and Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat.

Draco took a step forward and addressed his parents. "Father, Mother, this is Hermione Granger." He said as he gestured to Hermione. "Granger, these are my parents, Lord Lucius and Lady Narcissa Malfoy."

Hermione inclined her head towards them and they did the same. No one made any move to come closer to each other.

"Draco, dear, why don't you and your….intended take a seat." Narcissa said gesturing to the loveseat across from them.

Draco let Hermione go ahead first and then sat down next to her. It was officially the closest they had ever been to each other and neither was particularly comfortable. They sat there in silence for what seemed like a long period of time before someone spoke.

Narcissa cleared her throat. "So, how are the wedding plans coming?" She inquired but the note of forced civility wasn't missed.

"We simply rebooked the same vendors for a week earlier. Granger will be looking through the vendors' catalogs to customize the services as required." Draco answered.

"Do you understand what you're doing by becoming a Malfoy?" Lucius sneered at Hermione.

Hermione looked straight at him. "No, but I'm sure you'll inform me." She said tightly.

"I will show you how to be part of our society." Narcissa added. "You will be expected to host regular holiday balls and entertain large amounts of guests. You may be a _muggle-born_…" She practically spat the word. "…but you will need to behave as a pureblooded Malfoy."

Hermione held Narcissa's gaze. "I'm sure I can handle myself."

"We'll see about that." Lucius said under his breath.

"Granger is, if anything, a quick learner and I'm sure she'll be able to handle it." Draco said trying to smooth over the conversation.

"Will you be moving into the Manor right after the wedding?" Narcissa asked deftly changing the subject.

Hermione paused and looked at Draco. "We'll be spending the night in the castle where our wedding will be held. I imagine we'll be moving in on Monday." Draco answered.

"Castle?" Hermione inquired.

Draco looked at her. "Oh, right, the place of the ceremony will be at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland."

"THE Bamburgh Castle?!" Hermione gasped.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, we rented the entire grounds for the weekend. It cost a fortune but was luckily available this upcoming weekend. It will be closed to the public so we'll be able to use magic."

Hermione couldn't believe she was getting married at one of the most beautiful places in England. "Oh, okay." _How does one decorate an entire castle?_ She couldn't help but wonder.

"Do you have your wedding robes?" Narcissa inquired.

"Oh, well, I have a wedding dress that I was supposed to use yesterday." Hermione answered.

Narcissa pursed her lips. "I'm afraid a muggle dress won't be appropriate for this affair. You will need a set of wedding robes."

"What is wrong with…" Hermione started to say when she was cut off by Draco.

"Very well. I will take Hermione to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get everything that she needs." Draco answered.

Hermione glared at Draco but he shrugged. "Do you really want to wear the dress you would've worn to your previous wedding?"

Hermione's gaze softened. "No, I suppose not. But it was so expensive…"

Draco waved his hand. "Money is something you will never need to worry about again. We will pay for all the wedding expenses."

Narcissa nodded and Lucius grunted. Hermione just sat there in shock as the idea of wealth hit her. She would never worry about money again. How strange that would be.

"Are we certain this must happen?" Lucius burst. "There must be other options!"

Draco narrowed his eyes at his father. "We've been through this, Father. This is necessary."

"Tarnishing the family bloodlines is never necessary!" He yelled as he stood up. "This is a disgrace to the Malfoy name!"

Narcissa grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "We have talked about this." She said softly as he sat back down. "Please Lucius, under the current circumstances, we need to act with the poise and grace expected from people of our status."

Lucius grumbled but stopped his rant.

Hermione just looked at Draco with wide eyes and Draco merely shrugged. She understood that Narcissa was insulting her without even trying to. This is what it was going to be like living here. She wanted to cry just thinking about it but wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her weak.

A house elf entered the room and informed everyone that dinner was ready. As they all went to the dining room, Hermione had flashbacks of her night at the Manor years ago. It was almost as if she could feel the pain again. She froze, her mind whirling in the memory she tried so hard to forget.

Draco watched Hermione freeze while a multitude of emotions went through her face: confusion, fear, panic, and then pain. He reached out and touched her arm and she seemed to snap back to the present, turning her head sharply towards him. "Are you okay?" He asked.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "I'm fine. Just, I'm just remembering." She answered slowly.

Draco realized what she must be remembering and he felt a stab of regret for those days of the War. "Do you need to use the loo?" He asked.

"No, I'm okay. We can go." She answered as they continued to walk to the dining room, his parents already seated.

Once everyone was seated, Lucius and Narcissa on opposite ends of the long table, food appeared and covered every inch of the table. Everything Hermione could have ever possibly wanted was there. She took some turkey and some mashed potatoes with gravy and called it good. She then noticed that no one was talking. Apparently, they ate in relative silence. This was something she could appreciate.

After what seemed like a long dinner with only a few comments about the wonderful dinner choices and how lovely everything came out, they were back in the sitting room, staring at each other.

"The two of you will have the west wing of the house." Narcissa said suddenly. "Lucius and I reside in the east wing."

Draco nodded. "I assumed as much."

"We have converted Draco's old room into a master bedroom for the two of you. We combined it with the room next to it to provide you with enough living space." Narcissa continued. "I'm sure Draco can give you the tour of the Manor once you have settled in."

Hermione suddenly got a vision of having to share a bedroom with Draco. A grimace crossed her face briefly but she recovered before she thought anyone saw her. There were so many things that she hadn't considered with this marriage but were slowly creeping into her mind.

Draco worked hard to keep his face from turning a shade of green from thinking about having to share living quarters with Hermione and he didn't fail to notice the grimace that graced her face for a second. He certainly seconded that emotion.

Narcissa turned her gaze to Hermione. "We'll send out revised invitations tomorrow. I will owl you extra invitations to send to your friends and family. Are you planning on having any of your…muggle relatives in attendance?" Narcissa bit out the last part as if it pained her to say it.

Hermione did her best to not let it get to her. "Only my parents who are aware of magic will be there. But I will certainly have some friends there." She answered. "Like Harry Potter." She couldn't help adding with a small smile.

Lucius and Narcissa both flinched at the name but kept their composure. Draco looked at Hermione out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but slightly smile at her gall.

Draco stood up and helped Hermione to her feet. "Well, Father, Mother, it was a pleasure as always but we really must go."

Lucius and Narcissa stood as well. "We will be seeing the both of you soon, then." Narcissa said.

"As unfortunate as that may be." Lucius added.

Hermione smiled and kept her composure. "Thank you for dinner." She said remembering her manners.

Draco and Hermione floo'd back to his place and stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Well, Malfoy, I suppose that went as well as could be expected." Hermione said as she went towards the door.

"I suppose so." He agreed.

"So, we are going to Diagon Alley tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, we will and we will finalize all plans for the wedding." Draco answered. "I'll meet you at your place at 10am."

Hermione nodded. "Okay, until tomorrow then." She walked out the door and apparated back to her home, exhausted but glad to be home.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews! If you have reviewed with a suggestion or question, look for it in the story...I try to answer them! :-) I really do consider everything you all say, so thank you for the feedback. This chapter is a little longer the rest. Please keep reviewing! It helps me make the story better! ~Chrissy**


	5. Chapter 5

Draco knocked on the door promptly at 10am the next morning. He put his hand in his pocket, impatiently waiting to be let in.

Hermione answered the door and stepped aside for him to enter. There were catalogs scattered on the coffee table and he recognized the names as the vendors for the wedding. Two steaming mugs were already sitting on the coffee table next to the catalogs.

"I figured we could go through the wedding vendor catalogs before we leave. I got an owl with everything early this morning." She said as she yawned.

Draco sat on the loveseat while Hermione took the couch and picked up the tea. She saw him eye his tea cup suspiciously. "It's English breakfast, so it should be to your liking."

Draco picked up the tea cup and took a sip. "This is much better than that poor excuse for tea the other day."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Anyway, there are a few things I want to change. Firstly, the wedding colors."

"What's wrong with green and silver?" Draco asked.

"Nothing for an ex-slytherin." Hermione said. "However, I had something different in mind."

"I refuse if the colors are to be red and gold." Draco said preemptively.

"No. I wouldn't do that either. Really Malfoy, we're not in Hogwarts anymore." She said exasperatedly. "I was thinking sky blue and rose."

Draco crinkled his nose. "That seems overly feminine, don't you think?"

"It is my wedding and you said I could customize. Besides, I think it will look very nice for the castle you picked out." Hermione argued.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. I don't care." He conceded. "What else?"

Hermione was slightly startled by the easy concession. "I'm changing the type of flowers to light pink roses with lily of the valley and I'm changing some of the tapestries to sky blue. Oh and my bouquet will be made of a bunch of lily of the valley and white roses." She went on. "And I decided to hold the ceremony outdoors instead of indoors. I'll order a canopy and everything."

"That's fine." Draco said. "Anything else?" He didn't really care about the wedding or how it came out. Why should he? It's not like he cared about whom he was marrying either.

"No, that's it. But I should tell you, Arthur and Molly Weasley will be at the wedding as well as Harry and Ginny. Luna and Neville Longbottom as well." She said quickly.

Draco flinched at the names. "If they must." He answered with a wave of the hand. "Can we go to Diagon Alley now?" He was starting to get impatient. He didn't even talk to Astoria this much about their wedding.

Hermione stood up. "Okay, we'll floo to The Leaky Cauldon." She said as she went to the fireplace.

Draco followed her through the floo and they came out at The Leaky Cauldron. They picked up a quick lunch of sandwiches and then continued down Diagon Alley. He steered her into Madam Malkin's after a short walk.

"Welcome Mr. Malfoy!" Madam Malkin said as he walked through the door. "Ms. Granger, a pleasure to see you." She said with a bit of surprise in her voice.

"Good morning." Draco said pleasantly. "We are in the need of some wedding robes. And we need them before the weekend."

Madam Malkin's eyebrows rose and then looked at Hermione. "This weekend?! I don't know how I could possibly get them done!"

Draco leaned over the counter. "I will pay whatever is necessary to ensure that they are done by this weekend, Madam."

Madam Malkin's eyes widened. "Okay then, Mr. Malfoy." She looked at Hermione. "Ms. Granger, please look through this catalog and pick out the style you would like."

Hermione looked through the catalog carefully. After flipping through the first 25 pages her eyes landed on a set of robes that were a brilliant white with roses embroidered all over the them and had 3 small pearls in the center of each rose. The top was like a corset that laced up in the back and the skirt was full and flowing. The robes went down to the ground and had thick straps that went off the shoulders. She pointed at the picture. "This one, I would like this one."

Madam Malkin looked over her shoulder. "Oh, that will be lovely. We will start working on this straight away. Please come in on Thursday for a fitting and it will be ready by Friday afternoon." She looked at Draco. "Will this be on your account?"

Draco nodded. "Thank you." He said as he walked towards the door with Hermione following him.

"Aren't you going to ask how much it is?" Hermione asked as they walked outside.

"When will you get it through your head, Granger?" He said nonchalantly. "Money isn't an issue."

Hermione looked at him. "Well, sorry, not all of us were raised as ridiculously wealthy as you were." She said annoyed.

"Whatever Granger. You'll get used to it." He said as he continued to walk down the alley.

"Where are we going now?" She asked as she followed him through the crowds.

"The jewelry store. You'll need some for our wedding and I doubt that you own anything suitable." He said.

She scowled at the comment but didn't say anything. He was probably right but she didn't have to admit it.

They walked into a jewelry store where the sales associate greeted him enthusiastically.

"Mr. Malfoy! What can I do for you today?" A pudgy woman said as she waddled her way over to them.

"She needs some jewelry for our wedding." He said gesturing to Hermione. The woman peered at Hermione, looking her up and down.

"Go find a jewelry set that you like." He said to Hermione.

She was about to ask how much to spend when she remembered that money wasn't an issue. She walked down the aisle peering into each glass case with the pudgy woman following her every move commenting on pieces of jewelry as they passed them.

Hermione spotted a necklace that had a tear drop diamond pendant on a platinum chain with small diamond roses on either side. She pointed to it. "May I see that one?"

"Oh yes! A fine pick!" The saleswoman said as she pulled out the necklace. "The drop is beautiful and is a 5 carat stunning diamond."

Hermione almost choked at the size of the diamond when Draco came up behind. "That's fine. We'll take it." He looked into the case. He pointed to a bracelet that was made up of diamond roses. "We'll take the matching bracelet as well."

"Very good, sir." The woman said. "You're a very lucky lady."

Hermione did her best not to gasp at the set. He was certainly right when he said she didn't own anything up to these standards. All she could do was nod at the woman's comment.

"How do you like the engagement ring, dear?" The saleswoman asked. "Mr. Malfoy seemed like he was in a hurry when he picked it up."

"Oh, it's lovely." Hermione said as she smiled absentmindedly.

The woman looked at her intently. "Not quite to your liking then?" She asked as if she could read her mind. "Take a look of these and tell me if you see one you would prefer." She said as she took out a case display full of beautiful engagement rings.

Hermione looked over them all when she saw an amazing three stone setting. The sales associate saw the one she was gazing at and took it out. "Oh, this one is a beauty. The middle stone is 2.5 carats and each of the side stones is a little under a carat. It would look beautiful on your petite hand."

Hermione took off her solitaire and tried on the three stone ring. It sparkled and practically sang to her.

"Go on, then. Take that one instead." Draco said while leaning against the case. "Whichever you prefer, you're the one who has to wear it."

Hermione nodded. "Okay, I'll take this one instead." She looked at the ring and was happy with the swap.

The saleswoman took out another ring and gave it to her. It was a 5 diamond band with diamonds roughly the same size as the two diamonds that flanked the large one in her engagement ring. "This is the matching wedding band." She said.

"We'll take it then. Please put it in a box." Draco said with a bored tone.

The woman then pulled out a display of men's wedding rings. "Mr. Malfoy, would you pick one please?"

Draco looked over the bands and picked out a platinum band which had a Celtic design going all the way around. "This will do." He said, handing the band to the woman.

Hermione looked at his choice with interest. She wouldn't think he would go for the Celtic design but then again, she didn't know which one would suit him best. She really didn't know him at all or maybe she just couldn't imagine him married. She figured it was probably a combination of both.

The woman smiled and took all the jewelry and boxed it up. She put it all in a bag and handed it to Draco. "I'll put everything on your account." She said with a smile.

"Thank you." Draco said politely.

They walked outside and were only a few steps from the door when Draco suddenly stopped. Hermione almost bumped into him when she noticed that his hands were balled into fists and he was staring straight ahead. In front of him stood Astoria and by the looks of it, she was very angry.

"So you're really going to do it?! You're really going to marry that _mudblood_!" Astoria yelled, as she noticed the store they were coming out of.

People started to slow down to take in the scene. Draco looked around to see people watching. He took a deep breath. "Do not call my...fiancée that." Draco said warningly.

Astoria smirked. "Can't handle the truth, Draco?" She challenged in an overly sweet voice.

Hermione stood frozen, watching the scene in front her. She was acutely aware of the circle forming around them. She was sure that reporters were in the mix. _Keep your cool, Malfoy. The press is everywhere._ She thought trying to will her thoughts to him.

Draco smirked back and attempted a more relaxed stance. "Well, if you want to talk about the truth, then I suppose I should start referring to you as whore." He said smoothly.

Astoria's face scrunched up and anger waved through her. "How dare you..." She said furiously.

Draco waved her off. "You were the one talking about speaking the truth." He inspected his fingernails as if bored.

"You're making a mistake Draco! You don't even like that mudblood! You're throwing away everything!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Draco straightened up and glared at her. He then turned around and grabbed Hermione by the waist pulling her up to him. She gasped in surprise as she found herself pressed up against Draco's side. "Actually, I do believe I am gaining a hell of a lot more with her than I could have ever hoped for with _you_." He spat. "I can't imagine a bigger mistake than marrying a deceitful, adulterous, and all together dim slag like you."

Hermione did her best to not let her mouth hang open. Astoria was obviously fuming while Draco had a self satisfied smirk on his face. Hermione was dimly aware of the flashes of lights coming from reporters' cameras all around them. Draco then turned on his heel, grabbed Hermione's hand and walked away practically dragging her behind him. The crowd opened up to let the couple through while Astoria sat there staring at their backs, humiliated.

"This is not over, not by a long shot." She said under her breath. She turned on her heel and left in the opposite direction.

Draco was still fuming by the time they were 5 blocks away. "Malfoy?" Hermione said carefully.

He turned around sharply and looked at her. He quickly dropped her hand, noticed that her face was etched with concern and he quickly calmed down. "Stupid bint, causing a scene like that."

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked glad to see him calming down.

"I'm fine. I was just hoping that she would take what dignity she had left and leave me alone. But apparently, she's too stubborn for that." He ranted.

"That's going to be in the papers tomorrow." Hermione said softly.

"I'm fully aware of that, Granger." Draco said frustrated.

Hermione looked at him. "You did well, though." She said unsure on how to act in this situation. She hadn't seen Draco this mad since, well, probably since their Hogwarts days.

Draco looked at her. He took a few deep breaths. "Yes well, I doubt that's the last we've seen of her."

"She apparently refused to marry Ron." Hermione added, though she didn't know why.

Draco nodded. "I would imagine she would. They're dirt poor and while they may be purebloods, she would never sully her name by becoming a Weasley. And besides, Weasel is certainly not up to her standards for a husband. He is merely rubbish."

"Malfoy, Ron is not rubbish." Hermione defended instantly.

Draco looked at her questioningly, an eyebrow quirked. "Why are you still defending the bloke who cheated on you, Granger?"

Hermione opened her mouth to answer but was surprised when no answer came out.

"It's a simple question. Surely the brightest witch of our generation shouldn't have a problem answering a simple question." Draco prodded.

Hermione sat there dumbfounded. Why does she still defend her ex-fiance? It's not as if he deserved it. "I, well, I don't know. I suppose it's out of habit." She eventually answered.

Draco smirked. "Well, I would think that you might want to consider breaking said habit."

Hermione couldn't do anything but nod her head. "You may be right about that, Malfoy." She concurred.

"Shall we head home?" Draco asked after a long pause.

"Yes, it has been a long day but at least all the wedding planning is done." She answered.

They walked another block to an apparition point and apparated to the alley next to her house.

"How many people will be at our wedding?" She asked while they walked to her place.

Draco looked over at her. "My parents cut the guest list severely for this wedding. I wouldn't expect more than a hundred." He answered.

"Embarrassed about their son marrying a muggleborn?" She asked.

"Something like that." He answered honestly.

They reached her door and looked at each other in silence. "I suppose I'll be by tomorrow for dinner with your parents?" Draco asked.

"Yes, be here around 6pm." Hermione answered. "Have a good night."

"Good night." Draco replied and turned around to head back to the apparition point.

He apparated to his flat and noticed Bixby waiting for him. "Yes?" He asked the house elf.

"Master, an owl came for you." Bixby answered handing Draco a letter.

Draco took the letter and went into the study. He poured himself a glass of firewhiskey and sat in his recliner.

_Draco,_

_What's all this commotion I have been hearing about you marrying Granger? I go away for a week and this is what I come home to. I'll be by in the morning for a chat._

_Blaise_

Draco couldn't wait for this week to be over. Marrying Hermione couldn't be worse than this week had been, could it? _Of course it could, you bloody idiot. And you know that this is just the beginning._ He chided himself. He took a long gulp of the firewhiskey and sighed.

* * *

**A/N: Ha ha! Another chapter down! Your reviews are helping me get inspiration! :-) I'm not sure how long I can keep up this pace, but I'll sure try! I'm really excited by all the comments I'm getting. I hope you all enjoyed the scene with Astoria as much as I enjoyed writing it. For some reason, having Draco tell her off was a lot of fun...and she's not gone yet...hehe. Please keep reviewing and I'll keep on writing!**

**~Chrissy**


	6. Chapter 6

Draco was sitting at his dining room table eating a scone when Blaise strode into the room. Draco looked up to see Blaise with bags under his eyes as if he hadn't slept at all last night.

"So, what the bloody hell is going on? Why do I keep hearing that you're going to be marrying Granger?" Blaise asked as he sat down across from Draco. He picked up a scone from the platter on the table and took a bite.

"It's true, I'm afraid." Draco answered, putting his scone down on his plate.

Bixby then entered the room. "Master Blaise, would you like some tea?"

Blaise nodded and the house elf disappeared. He reappeared quickly with a steaming cup of tea. Blaise took it from him and put it on the table.

"It's true? What happened with Astoria? Merlin Draco, I was only gone a week!" Blaise exclaimed.

Draco sighed. "Long story short, Astoria cheated on me with the weasel and Granger was the only choice left before the marriage law goes into effect."

Blaise took a sip of tea and let out a low whistle. "Well, mate, you could do worse than Granger. I don't blame you for not wanting to chance it with the Ministry. Hell, you could've been stuck with Bulstrode."

Both boys shuddered at the name. "Even her father can't bribe a wizard into marrying her!" Blaise continued.

"You're right there, Blaise. Anyone would be better than her." Draco shook his head. "No way I'd let the Ministry pick for me while she's a possibility."

"So, you're really going to marry Granger?" Blaise repeated, getting back to the topic.

"Yes, I really am going to marry her, this Saturday. I hope you got the invitation?" Draco said.

Blaise nodded. "Yes, although I have to admit, it set Daphne off."

"Right, how is Daphne doing? How was the honeymoon?" Draco asked, well aware that his best friend married his ex-fiancée's sister.

"Italy was great. We stayed in one of my family's estates for the week." Blaise answered. "And Daphne is doing fine, or at least was until she heard the news about your upcoming nuptials" He chuckled. "She found out via your invitation. She was talking on the floo all night. You have made my marriage fairly uncomfortable, you know."

Draco raised his eyebrow. "If you knew what happened, why did you ask me?"

Blaise shrugged. "I just wanted to see what you would say. I wouldn't expect to see Daphne at your wedding, though."

Draco nodded. "Good. I was hoping she wouldn't go." Draco ran his hand through his hair. "Astoria has been a pain in my arse."

Blaise laughed. "Are you talking about this?" He asked as he pulled out a newspaper and threw it on the table.

Draco grabbed the paper from the table and looked at it. The headline read, "Former lovers spat at Diagon Alley." A moving picture featuring Astoria screaming while Draco held Hermione at his side was featured next to the article.

_Reformed Death Eater Draco Malfoy defends the honor of his War Hero bride-to-be, Hermione Granger from the insults of jilted betrothed, Astoria Greengrass. The row erupted in the middle of Diagon Alley, just steps from high end jewelry store "Jacqueline's Jewels" where the couple were wedding ring shopping according to a sales associate. Ms. Greengrass stormed up to the couple yelling derogatory things at Ms. Granger when Mr. Malfoy gallantly stepped forward to defend her. While some of the things Mr. Malfoy said could be considered crude, it is in the honest opinion of this reporter than everything said was well deserved. Turn to page 4 for the rest of the story._

Draco couldn't read anymore. He wasn't defending her; he was purely yelling back at Astoria. Draco threw the paper back on to the table.

"You didn't read the best part." Blaise said with an amused look. "They quoted some of the things you said."

Draco grunted. "I know what I said. I don't need to read it." He answered. "Besides, I wasn't defending Granger's honor, I was simply laying in to Astoria."

"Those were some pretty good zingers, mate." Blaise continued. "You must have been furious."

Draco shrugged. "I certainly was furious. I just hope she learned her lesson and stays away."

"I wouldn't bet on it." Blaise smirked.

"Me neither." Draco agreed. "To be honest, Blaise, I don't know how I'm going to survive this marriage."

Blaise nodded. "I'm glad I'm not in your shoes, that's for sure."

"Thanks." Draco responded sarcastically.

Blaise thought about the situation for a minute. "Really, Draco, it shouldn't be that bad. The Manor is huge. You could literally not see her for days on end."

"I know. But eventually we'll need to conceive a child and such." Draco shuddered. "And we have to share a bedroom."

Blaise smiled ruefully. "Ah, the Malfoy name. Not even a muggleborn can stop you from gaining an heir." Draco glared at him and Blaise put his hands up in front of him. "Sorry mate, but it's true. Besides, you have plenty of other estates; you can always get away if you need to."

"That's true." Draco conceded. "I just can't believe that I am marrying Granger." Draco ran his hand through his hair again. "It just seems like a catastrophe waiting to happen."

Blaise chuckled. "I agree with you there. I look forward to seeing what happens. I definitely don't envy you right now."

Draco glared at him. "Your support is overwhelming."

Blaise gave him a large smile. "As always, mate."

Draco shook his head. "I have to meet Granger's parents tonight."

Blaise's smile quickly fell away. "You're having dinner with muggles?"

"It does seem that way." Draco answered in a resigned voice. "I suppose I should be on my best behavior and all."

Blaise looked at him incredulously. "You think you'll be able to get through it?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't really have a choice. Hopefully I only have to see them once in a long while. I figure I should at least attempt to not be hated by my soon to be in-laws."

Blaise nodded his head. "Too true, Draco. You don't want the scorn of in-laws, muggle or not. I mean bloody hell, being best mates with you has earned me a nasty place with my in-laws."

Draco smirked. "It's not my fault that bloody bint went off with a blood traitor of all people."

"I never said I blamed you, mate." Blaise said.

"You'll still be my best man, right?" Draco asked.

"Of course. Wouldn't dream of missing _this_ wedding." Blaise smiled.

Draco sighed. "I wish I could miss it."

Blaise laughed. "I'm sure you do. Well, I must be off. Daphne will have my head if I don't get back soon. Good luck with the muggles."

"Thanks, I'll need it. I'll see you later." Draco said as Blaise got up and left the room.

Draco rested his head in his hands. His wedding was a few days away and yet he felt like he was in the Tower of London awaiting his own hanging.

****************

Hermione was fidgeting with her engagement ring as she sat on the couch waiting. Draco would be there any minute and she couldn't help but worry how dinner was going to go. Dinner with his parents had been bad enough. Surely her parents would be polite, though. She could only hope that Draco would be, too.

A knock on the door got her attention and she took a deep breath. She answered the door and found Draco standing there in a pair of black slacks and a dark green button down shirt. She smiled with relief that he remembered to wear muggle clothing.

"Hi Malfoy. Come on in." She said as she stepped aside to let him pass.

"Granger." He acknowledged as he walked inside. "How are we getting there?"

"Oh. We can apparate to an alley next to their house." She answered. She paused before she could continue. "Malfoy, do you think that for tonight, we could call each other by our first names?" She asked nervously.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, I don't want my parents to be overly worried about me marrying someone I don't love." She explained. "And I think it would be more uncomfortable if we were constantly referring to each other by our last names."

Draco thought about it for a moment. "I suppose. Whatever makes tonight go by as painless as possible."

"Thanks Malf....ermm...Draco." She said, feeling uneasy by the use of his first name.

"That is strange." Draco said. "Thankfully it's only for an evening."

"Yes, it is strange. Maybe we'd be best off to just try not to use each other's name when possible." Hermione suggested.

Draco nodded. "That sounds good."

"Alright, let's go then." She said. She held out her hand and Draco looked at her funny. "You don't know where we're going so you'll have to side-along with me."

He then took her hand and they apparated to an alleyway. Draco followed her down the alley and to the house next door. It was a quaint little white house located in what seemed like a quiet neighborhood. The sun was setting and all the houses were bathed in orange light.

Hermione opened the front door and walked in. "Mum! Dad! We're here!" She called out as they entered the living room.

Richard and Abby Granger entered the room. "Hermione!" They both said as she gave them hugs. Draco watched uncomfortably, not used to watching families be affectionate with each other.

"Mum, Dad, this is Draco Malfoy." She said turning around and gesturing to him. "Draco..." She said slowly, still getting used to the name. "...this is Richard and Abigail Granger."

Richard strode over to Draco and extended his hand. Draco took the hand and shook it firmly. "We have heard a lot about you." Richard said.

Abby came over and extended her hand as well. "It's nice to finally meet you." She said as Draco shook it.

Draco got an uneasy feeling in his stomach. If Hermione had told them about school, they probably didn't have a good impression of him. "It's a pleasure to meet the both of you." He replied, trying to be polite.

"Well, is dinner ready?" Hermione asked, trying to break the ice.

"Oh yes, it's already on the table." Abby answered and lead everyone into the dining room.

Hermione and Draco were seated on one side of the table with Richard and Abby on the other. Abby served everyone and smiled. "Hope you enjoy the shepherd's pie."

"I love shepherd's pie!" Hermione exclaimed, since it was her favorite dish.

They all started eating and silence took over the table.

"So, Draco, you work with Hermione?" Richard asked, breaking the silence.

"Not directly." Draco answered politely. "I work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I do have to give reports to her department every so often, though."

"Are you an auror?" Abby asked.

"No." Draco said. "I am a lawyer for the department."

"It's a Ministry policy to give you off the week of your wedding and the week after." Hermione chimed in. "So we've been enjoying time off from work."

"How nice." Abby said.

"Why are you marrying our daughter?" Richard asked abruptly.

Hermione gasped. "Dad! I've already explained to you..."

Richard cut her off. "I'd like to hear it from this young man. You are our only child, Hermione."

Draco swallowed the lump in his throat. What was he supposed to say?

"Well?" Richard prodded as Draco tried his best to think fast.

"Well, you see, umm...Hermione and I were put in a very awkward situation." Draco said slowly.

"I'm aware of the situation. But why marry her?" Richard asked.

"Well, she is a very bright witch...I mean, young lady." Draco quickly corrected himself. "And we get along well enough. It seemed like a favorable outcome to an unfavorable situation." He attempted to explain in the nicest way possible. He didn't want to tell the whole truth; that they didn't really get along and that the outcome wasn't necessarily favorable, just better than the worst case scenario.

"So you don't love her?" Richard asked seriously.

"Richard!" Abby interjected. "That's enough. You know well enough the situation they're in. No need to make it worse."

"You're right, darling. I'm sorry Draco. The situation is just worrisome." He explained.

Draco released a breath. "I understand."

Hermione was distinctly uncomfortable. She didn't foresee this turn of conversation. "So, I'll come by to pick you guys up before the wedding." She said attempting to change the topic.

"That would be lovely, Hermione." Abby said happy for the change. "Where will you two be living after the wedding?"

"At my family's manor." Draco answered.

"Your family has a manor?" Abby asked her eyebrows up in surprise.

"It's huge, mum." Hermione answered. "We'll invite the two of you over after we're settled."

"Oh good, then we can sit down and chat with your parents, Draco." Abby continued. "Since I'm sure they will be much too busy at the wedding."

Draco blanched at the thought of the Grangers meeting his parents. All he could do was nod.

Hermione looked at Draco, attempting to not laugh at the look on his face. He had turned paler than she thought was possible.

"So, you'll be able to take care of my little girl?" Richard asked, smiling fondly at Hermione.

"Of course." Draco responded. "Money will never be an issue and she will always be well taken care of."

Richard nodded his head. "Well, at the very least, that's good to hear."

"It's quite a difference from the last boy you were going to marry." Abby said offhandedly.

Hermione froze. "What do you mean, mum?"

"Well, your father and I were always a little worried about his ability to provide for you." Abby said.

Draco fought the desire to laugh. Even Hermione's parents knew how poor the Weasleys' were and how inept Ron could be.

"But mum, Ron was..." Hermione started when she glanced over to Draco. She saw him cock his head to the side as if wondering about what her response would be. She was acutely reminded of what he said the day before about rushing to the defense of the guy who cheated on her. "...you're right. He wasn't turning out to be the most reliable person, now was he?" She said, changing her answer.

Draco smirked at her answer. He was glad that she wasn't jumping to the red head's defense. Perhaps she was a quick learner after all.

Richard nodded. Abby got up and cleared the dishes away. "That was a lovely dinner, love." Richard called after his wife.

"Thank you, dear." She replied from the kitchen. "Why don't you all go into the living room and I'll bring out some tea."

Draco sat down on the couch next to Hermione and reflected that he wasn't used to having someone actually do everything. Usually there was a house elf to do chores or someone used magic to clean up. It was very strange indeed.

Abby came back out with a tray of teacups. Everyone took one and she sat down next to Richard on the loveseat.

"So, Hermione, is Ginny still your matron of honor?" Abby asked.

"Yes mum." Hermione replied. "We changed the color of her dress but with magic, that's a lot easier."

Abby nodded. "That's good. It will be nice to see her and Harry again."

"Well, Hermione, I have to say, after all I saw at the rehearsal dinner, I am quite proud of you for not marrying Ron." Richard said sincerely.

"Thanks Dad." Hermione smiled.

"Yes, dear, we are both quite proud of you." Abby agreed. "You were in a tough situation but you came out as resilient as ever."

Hermione smiled. "Well, it's getting late so we really ought to be going." She said putting her tea cup down and standing up.

Draco followed suit, glad to be leaving. "Thank you for the wonderful dinner." He said politely.

Richard stood up and he walked over to Draco extending his hand again. As Draco took it, Richard's face broke out into a smile and he clapped Draco on the back. "Welcome to the family, son." He said sincerely.

Draco was caught by surprise. He didn't know what he was expecting, but certainly acceptance wasn't it. Abby walked over and embraced him. "Welcome." She said sweetly. Draco tensed as he wasn't used to physical affection. All he could do was nod and squeak out a "thank you."

Hermione smiled while she watched. She didn't know how her parents would take to the man she was practically made to marry but it was nice to have her parent's blessing. They then came over to her and hugged her tightly. "We trust you, Hermione, and if you say you want to marry this man for whatever reasons, we'll always stand behind you." Her mother said in her ear.

"I love you both, very much." She said as they let go of her.

"Draco, you take care of our Hermione." Richard said.

"Of course." Draco responded with a tilt of his head.

"Then we shouldn't have any problems." Richard replied with a smile.

The two left and apparated back to Hermione's home. Again they looked at each other awkwardly.

"Well, Malfoy, that went well." Hermione said, glad to be back to using last names. "My parents seem to accept you."

"Yes, Granger, they did." Draco said feeling more comfortable as well. "It was quite surprising, actually."

"Yes, it was. Let's hope it stays that way." She said.

Draco looked down at the floor for a moment. "So, I suppose I shall be seeing you at the wedding, then."

"Yes, I suppose so." She answered, suddenly nervous.

"I'll send over a portkey so that you and your parents can get to the castle." He said. "It will land you in the...ermm...bride's rooms, and someone will come to get you when it's time. I will send you extras to give to your guests."

"That sounds good." She answered.

Draco turned to leave when she called out. "Malfoy." He turned around. "Thanks for being so...polite tonight."

Draco nodded. "They are to be my in-laws. I figured I should behave. Believe it or not, I was taught manners." He smirked. "See you in a few days, Granger."

"Will you still call me Granger after we're married?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know. I suppose we shall see." He said and walked out the door.

Hermione went to her room to get ready for bed. She didn't know why she asked that last question, it just popped into her head. Would she still call him Malfoy? She figured he was right, they'd find out when the time came.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N: Next chapter will be the wedding! Thanks for the reviews! It's interesting to see that my last story had too much detail and this story doesn't have enough! Well I'll try to find a middle ground. :-) I hope you're enjoying it. Chapter 6 and the two can still barely tolerate each other. I wonder how long until they get it together. :-) Keep reviewing! I wouldn't be able to continue this without you guys! ~Chrissy**


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione stood in front of her mirror. _Today's the day_. She thought dressed in a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt. She had just gotten out of the shower and she was a bundle of nerves. Madam Malkin had promised that her wedding robes would be in her room at the castle and Narcissa had told her that she arranged for a hair stylist and makeup artist to be there as well. Draco had owled her portkeys as promised and she owled them over to Harry's and the Weasleys'. She kept thinking of all the things she needed to do. She had packed an overnight bag and most of her apartment was packed, ready for the move. She had kept herself so busy that she didn't have a chance to freak out, until now. She took slow, deep breaths and tried to calm down. It was only 10am and the wedding wasn't set to start until 4pm.

She looked around at her now barren home and tears start to spring to her eyes. _No crying! _She demanded from herself. She grabbed her overnight bag and apparated to the alley near her parent's house. She took a couple of deep breaths again and walked towards their house.

She walked through the front door to see her parents waiting for her. Richard was dressed in his tux, minus the tie and jacket. Abby had decided to get ready at the castle with Hermione. There was a large bag on the floor as Draco's parents had paid for a room for her parents to stay in as well.

"Mum! Dad!" Hermione called out. "Are you two ready?" She asked.

Abby smiled at her daughter, who was obviously suffering from the jitters. "Yes dear, are you?" She asked sincerely.

Hermione sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be." She answered giving a small smile.

The sight broke Richard's heart. His daughter was supposed to be marrying for love not out of desperation. But he had promised to not say anything and be supportive. He went over and hugged his daughter. "It's not too late. You don't have to do this."

"No, Dad. I do have to do this. And it's okay, I'm a big girl now. I can take care of myself." Hermione said reassuringly.

Richard sighed. "Alright darling. I love you." He answered as he let go of his daughter.

Hermione brought out a picture frame, which was their portkey. "Okay, grab on. It will go off in 30 seconds." She said holding frame out.

Richard and Abby looked at each other shrugged. They had never used a portkey before but reached out their hands to touch it.

30 seconds later, a pulling sensation tugged at their bellybuttons and they found themselves standing in the middle of a very large room. There were multiple dressers for people to get ready at, a flowered screen to get changed behind which also had Hermione's wedding robes hanging from it. A door led to the bathroom and a fireplace was on the far wall, a fire burning in it already.

A house elf was standing in the middle of the room, apparently waiting for them. "Hello Grangers." The elf said. Richard and Abby gasped, having never seen a house elf before. "You ladies are to be getting ready here. I am to take Mister to the mens' rooms. Mister will be back at 3:30 to get ladies from room. I will take luggages to your rooms, too." The elf picked up the bags and apparated away with a loud crack.

"Hermione, dear, what was that?" Abby asked, slightly scared.

"Oh, Mum, that's a house elf. Do you remember? I talked about them while I was in school." Hermione smiled.

"Oh, that's a house elf." Richard replied.

The house elf reappeared. "Come now, Mister." He walked towards the door.

Richard placed a kiss on top of Hermione's head. "You two behave." He then followed the house elf out the door, closing it behind them.

"Did you have breakfast, Mum?" Hermione asked as she saw a platter of fruits and biscuits and an assortment of other things on one of the dressers.

"No, dear. Let's have a bite." She said as she walked towards the platter.

************

Draco was pacing the groom's room, much to the dismay of Blaise. He was already dressed in his formal black dress robes with a black bow tie and white button down shirt. His pale blond hair was parted down the side and he had a white rose pinned to his robes.

"Mate, sit your arse down, you're making me dizzy." Blaise said from the chaise he was sitting on. He was also dressed in his formal black robes, complete with black bow tie and light pink rose pinned to his chest.

Draco flopped down into a chair but wouldn't stop fidgeting. "I can't help it, Blaise. I feel like I'm waiting for my own hanging." He said nervously. He put both his hands through his hair which went back perfectly into place.

Blaise chuckled. "You may as well be."

Draco shot him a glare. "Uplifting as usual, I see."

Blaise shook his head. "Draco, you've been pacing for the last hour. I mean, Merlin, I've never seen you like this. Not even when you were on trial after the War."

"I know, I know. I just have this awful pit in my stomach. During the trial, I knew they would find me not guilty. Right now, I don't know what's going to happen." He explained as his foot tapped on the ground.

The door opened suddenly and Lucius swept into the room. His gray hair was pulled back and he was also in dress robes. He would have looked regal if not for the scowl on his face. "Come along, Draco. You are expected outside to get ready for the ceremony." He said with a sneer. "It is nearly time to wed that mudblood of yours." He looked like it physically pained him to say it.

Draco and Blaise stood up. Draco took a deep breath as Blaise gave him a push to get him going. Draco stumbled forward and quickly regained his footing shooting another glare at Blaise but kept walking. He followed his father out the door and down the main stairs that led to the main foyer of the castle. He saw light blue tapestries hanging from the ceiling and flowers everywhere. He saw his mother waiting for him, dressed in light pink dress robes that flowed freely to the floor. She had a cluster of three light pink roses pinned to her robes. Her pale blond hair was up in curls and she smiled slightly at the sight of him.

"Draco, my son, are you ready?" She asked as he came up to her giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'd rather not even be here but seeing as that's not a choice than I suppose I'm ready, Mother." He answered.

She nodded her head sadly. "The situation is certainly not ideal, darling. But I'm sure you will behave as a Malfoy is expected to."

Draco nodded. "Of course, Mother." He held his head up and walked towards the door leading to the courtyard.

He walked outside to see chairs on either side of a white runner on the lawn. Half the chairs were already filled and guests were continuing to arrive. At the end of the runner was a very large white gazebo. The gazebo had light blue chiffon covering the top of the gazebo and running down the sides. Each of the 4 posts had pink and white roses wrapped around them. Draco had to admit, it was very elegant.

A Ministry official then walked up to Draco and Blaise. "Gentlemen." He addressed them. "I am Nathaniel Dempsey, your Ministry representative and I will be doing your service." He said as he shook both of their hands. "Follow me, please."

He led them around the chairs and up to the gazebo. He stood in the middle of the gazebo looking out at the crowd and pointed at the spot to his left. "Draco, you will be standing here and Blaise, you will be standing to Draco's left. You will face the crowd until Hermione comes down the aisle and her father gives her to you. You will then take her hand in yours and you will face each other. Blaise, you have the rings, correct?"

Blaise nodded and pulled them out of his pocket. "Right here."

"Good." Nathaniel said. "Hold on to them. The rest of the ceremony will go smoothly, just do and say what I tell you."

Draco nodded. "I can handle that." He said.

Draco looked over the crowd and his stomach started to churn. The chairs were almost filled which meant it was almost time. His parents were seated on the left side and the Weasleys was sitting on the right side next to Harry Potter. He looked over at Blaise and he got a sympathetic look from his best man. The urge to run away grew in him but he attempted to force it back down. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked at his parents and his father had a frown etched into his face. His mother was attempting to smile, but only to look the part of mother of the groom. She was obviously unhappy with what was about to take place.

Blaise patted Draco on his back feeling genuinely sorry for his best mate. But what could he do? He watched Draco straighten up and put on an indifferent face. He decided to follow Draco's lead and straightened up; trying to look like it wasn't the end of his best mate's life.

* * *

Hermione was dressed and ready and attempting to patiently wait for her father to come get her. Her robes were perfect; Madam Malkin had really outdone herself. Her hair was up in curls, little ringlets framing her face. She was wearing the jewelry set Draco had bought her and her mother had bought her a little tiara to put in her hair. She knew everything was perfect except that her face had a frown.

"Oh Ginny, I feel awful." Hermione said to her matron of honor.

Ginny smiled softly at her. "I wish I knew what to tell you, Hermione." Ginny said. She was dressed in sky blue floor length robes, her red hair also in curls on top of her head. "But you look beautiful."

"You definitely look beautiful, dear." Abby said. She was dressed in a lavender gown, with capped sleeves. Her brown hair went down to the middle of her back.

Hermione attempted to smile but it faltered. "I'm supposed to marry the man I love, not some former enemy out of desperation." She said, her eyes tearing up.

Ginny looked at her sadly. "I know, Hermione. Unfortunately, my brother is the world's biggest prat and he obviously doesn't deserve you. Look, you only get married once, try to make the most of it." She encouraged. "And don't cry, you'll mess up your makeup!"

Hermione smiled at the last part. "You know Ginny, you're right. I didn't sit in that stupid chair for an hour to ruin my makeup." She giggled. "And it is my wedding, I'll do my best."

"That's the spirit!" Her mother said.

"That's the Hermione I know!" Ginny said when there was as knock the door.

Hermione tensed up, knowing that it was time. Her father walked in the room dressed in his formal muggle tuxedo. "Oh Dad! You look so handsome!" Hermione said giving her dad a hug.

"You look absolutely stunning, Hermione. All you ladies look beautiful." Richard said trying to hold back tears. "My little baby girl, all grown up."

"Oh, Dad, don't cry!" Hermione exclaimed, tearing up again.

"Yes, Mr. Granger!" Ginny said with a smile. "I just got her to not cry and ruin her makeup!"

Richard smiled at that. "Sorry dear. Ginny's right. Let's get you outside. Your wedding awaits."

Hermione did her best to put a smile on her face. "Okay, let's go." She said as she grabbed her bouquet of lilies.

They walked through the empty halls and down the stairs to the decorated castle foyer. Hermione smiled at the way everything looked, the vendors did a beautiful job. Her father led them out to the doorway leading to the courtyard. Her mother kissed her on the cheek and went out to take her seat.

Ginny went in front of them and gave them a smile. "Good luck, Hermione." She said as the music started. "That's my cue."

Hermione couldn't see where Ginny went once she left the doorway as everyone was set up out and to the right. She heard the music change and her father grabbed her hand. She took a deep breath and nodded at him.

They walked out the door and Hermione's breath caught in her throat when she saw everyone standing and looking at her. She saw the photographer snapping tons of photos as she walked towards the aisle. She saw the beautiful gazebo at the end of the white runner and finally she saw Draco standing there waiting for her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued to walk. She couldn't help but smile as everyone looked at her appreciatively. When she got halfway up the aisle, she could see Draco more clearly and he certainly looked handsome, far more handsome than she ever gave him credit for. A small smile played at her lips.

Draco watched Hermione move up the aisle, shifting his weight between his feet. She did look pretty, certainly nicer than he had ever seen her before. He tried to smile slightly as she got closer. He watched as her father kissed her on the cheek and offered him her hand. Quickly, he realized what he was supposed to do, and he took her hand as she stepped forward to be next to him, handing Ginny her bouquet.

Hermione gave him a shy smile as she tried to not think about the people watching her. For the first time ever, she was holding Draco's hand and she was trying really hard to not take her hand back. It just felt so unnatural.

Draco looked down at her and tried to keep still as he held her hand. His stomach was tied in knots and he was hoping he wouldn't get sick in front of all these people. The music stopped and Nathaniel started to talk.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage and bonding of these two people." Nathaniel started.

Hermione could feel her heart beating quickly. She could feel butterflies in her stomach, but they weren't the normal type of butterflies, these seemed to be mutant man eating butterflies. She looked up at Draco to see his normal indifferent expression but she could tell by his fidgeting that he was nervous as well.

Draco attempted to not think about what was happening. He attempted to not let his distress show. He looked down at his bride and he swallowed thickly. Part of him thought this was a nightmare but as he looked at the crowd, he knew it was reality. A really messed up and painful reality maybe, but reality nonetheless.

Hermione was snapped out of her reverie when she heard the Minister address her.

"Hermione Granger, do you take Draco Malfoy to be your lawfully and bonded husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, through sickness and health, 'til death do you part?" Nathaniel asked, looking at her expectantly.

Hermione stared at him for a moment. Then she looked at Draco who for the first time seemed interested in what was happening. She looked out over the crowd and then she looked down at her hand that was still in Draco's hand in front of her. "I….I do." She said hesitantly but loud enough for everyone to hear.

Nathaniel then looked at Draco. "Draco Malfoy, do you take Hermione Granger, to be your lawfully and bonded wife, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, through sickness and health, 'til death do you part?"

Draco didn't look at anyone when he answered. "I do." He said strongly and loudly.

"If there is anyone who objects to this marriage, please speak now or forever hold your peace." Nathaniel said, pausing for a moment. "Ok then. Blaise will you please…"

" WE OBJECT!" Both Astoria and Ron yelled in unison. Astoria looked frazzled in a skirt and blouse. Ron looked desperate, his red hair messed up and his button down shirt half untucked from his pants.

"Draco, you can't do this! You're too good for her! You're supposed to marry ME!" Astoria yelled as she ran up the aisle. "We belong together!" She said desperately.

"'Mione! My 'Mione. Please don't do this. Please forgive me." Ron said as he came up the aisle and fell to his knees in front of Hermione. Ginny stepped forward in case she needed to intervene. "I need you."

Draco and Hermione both looked stunned for a moment then they dropped each other's hand and turned toward the intruders.

Draco was the first to speak. "Astoria, I have told you before and I will tell you again, there is no way I would ever marry you. And all your accomplishing now is utterly humiliating yourself in front of everyone." He said as he gestured toward the guests.

Before Astoria could say anything, Hermione addressed Ron. "Ron, get up." She said as he got up to his feet. "Ron, I will never forgive you for what you did to me. And I will never love you the way I did before you betrayed me. And for those reasons, I will never marry you." She said trying to be as stern as possible.

"You would rather marry a ferret?!" Ron yelled pointing at Draco.

At this Draco took a step forward toward him. "Weasley, please remove yourself from my wedding. She has made it clear that she does not want you. Now leave."

"You're defending her?!" Astoria yelled pointing at Hermione. "You're defending a mudblood?!"

Draco turned around to look at her when he noticed that Hermione had crossed over to her and slapped her across the face. Astoria's head snapped to the side from the force of the blow.

"Don't you ever call me that again, Greengrass. You have the nerve to interrupt my wedding but I will not stand for insults!" Hermione said menacingly.

Draco smiled, a bit of pride showing for his soon to be wife.

Astoria turned bright red. "How dare you lay a hand on me!" She screamed when Draco stood between them.

"You touch my bride and you will regret it, Greengrass." Draco said seriously.

Astoria's head snapped to Draco, shocked from his use of her last name. In the entire time she had known him, he had never called her anything but Astoria.

Blaise then sighed and grabbed Astoria. "Come on, I'm sending you to Daphne. Now." He said pushing her down the aisle. She struggled but Blaise overpowered her and forced her to leave.

Molly Weasley then stood up sensing an end to the ruckus. "Ronald Weasley, you get your arse home right now!" She yelled.

Ron looked behind him and turned bright red from the scolding from his mother. He turned one last time to Hermione. "'Mione, please…"

"That's enough, Ronald. Please leave. If you care for me at all, you'll leave." Hermione said angrily.

Ron looked up at her sadly and nodded. "I'm sorry, 'Mione." He turned and dejectedly walked back down the aisle and out of sight.

Hermione let out a long sigh before she turned around and stepped back up to Draco. Blaise returned from sending Astoria off and gave her an apologetic smile. Draco took her hand again and looked at her. He shrugged and she nodded and shrugged back.

Nathaniel looked around, still shocked at what had just happened. "Oh! Right, let's move on…" He said as he saw everyone look at him. "…Blaise, the rings."

Blaise stepped forward with the rings in his palm.

Nathaniel then took out his wand. "I hereby bind you, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger, by the laws of the Wizarding World, to be bonded together for as long as you both shall live. Let these rings be a symbol of your bonding, with no beginning and no end, a perfect circle to symbolize the vows you have made today." He waved his wand and a silver strand wrapped itself around Draco and Hermione's connected hands. He waved his wand over the rings that then glowed a bright white for a moment before becoming normal. "Hermione, please place the ring on Draco's left hand."

Hermione grabbed Draco's ring and took Draco's left hand. Her hand was shaking but she pushed the ring on to his ring finger. The ring once again glowed white before returning normal, causing a warm sensation on Draco's hand.

"Draco." Nathaniel nodded towards the other ring.

Draco took her ring and took her left hand. He smoothly put the ring on her ring finger which also glowed white before returning to normal.

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Nathaniel said to the couple.

Hermione's eyebrows rose in surprise, forgetting about this part of the ceremony. Draco, also surprised looked down at Hermione, wondering what to do. Quickly, he leaned down and put a chaste kiss on her lips. The crowd erupted into applause while the couple stood there.

"May I now present to you for the first time, Draco and Hermione Malfoy!" Nathaniel said loudly.

The couple stood there, slightly shell shocked until Blaise pushed Draco's shoulder. Draco then realized he should be walking back down the aisle so he offered his arm to Hermione. She looked at him at first then seemed to realize what she was supposed to be doing. She took his arm and the couple walked down the aisle, leading the way into castle ballroom.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Well, you didn't expect the wedding to go smoothly, did you? :-) How awkward do you think their first night together should be? ;-) I couldn't wait to put this chapter up. I might need a little more time though to get the next on up. We'll see. Keep reviewing, please! The last chapter didn't seem too popular. Hopefully I did better! Let me know! Thanks. ~Chrissy**


	8. Chapter 8

Draco led Hermione into the castle and into the ballroom. The entire room had sky blue chiffon hanging from the ceiling and pink and white roses on each table. He stared around the room, people coming and filling the tables. He was then thankful his mother had shortened the guest list, as only about a hundred people had attended and witnessed the fiasco during the ceremony.

Hermione looked up at her now husband and couldn't believe she actually went through with it. She couldn't believe that she was now Hermione Malfoy. They sat at their table which also had Blaise and Ginny sitting with them. Everyone had already been seated when she heard a clinking of a glass next to her.

Blaise stood up, his fork hitting his glass. It was time for the best man's speech, which was of course followed by the matron of honor's speech. He was well aware that they didn't want it to be known that their animosity towards each other hadn't really faded, so he attempted to make this speech as generic as possible.

"Attention, may I have your attention?" He called out to the crowd. Everyone looked toward him expectantly. "As I am the best man, I am expected to have a speech prepared. But seeing how this wedding was somewhat a surprise, I didn't have much time to prepare!" He quipped and everyone chuckled. "But, Draco, you are my best mate, so of course I wouldn't let you down." He said as he lifted his glass to the couple. "Here's to you both, to your happiness and to your future. May the unfortunate situation that has led to this union become less unfortunate and more of a blessing." He ended, making sure the words love or even like never came out of his mouth. Everyone raised their glasses to the couple and drank.

Ginny then stood up, nervous as ever. What would she say about a couple she knew nothing about and a person she loathed? She took a deep breath and started. "Hermione, we have been together through thick and thin and always made it out brilliantly. I will admit, when I first heard about this wedding, I was skeptical but then I thought, you're the brightest witch of our generation, surely you knew what you were doing." People chuckled at this and she smiled gaining confidence. "So, here's to you both, to the road in front of you and to all that I'm sure you'll achieve. As with any marriage, I'm sure there will be ups and downs but remember your friends will always be there to help you through." She concluded and raised her glass. Everyone followed suit and toasted the newlyweds.

Draco raised his glass with everyone else, well aware that the speeches were all very generic and didn't encroach upon the topic of this being unwanted. In fact, they had done well for what they were given. He looked at his new wife and the way she unenthusiastically raised her glass didn't go unnoticed.

Hermione kept thinking about how different this wedding was from the way she had always pictured her wedding to be. When she was a little girl, she imagined love, romance and this being the best day of her life. Instead, she got tolerance, wedding crashers and the scariest day of her life. She sighed as she looked around to see everyone laughing and smiling.

"You and Malfoy should think about doing your rounds to the tables." Ginny said in her ear. "Keep smiling, Hermione. You're doing great."

Hermione smiled at her and nodded. "Malfoy, we need to go greet our guests." She said as she leaned over to him. He nodded and they both stood up.

They went around to each table saying hello and thank you. They made sure to stand close together but not close enough to be touching. Hermione attempted to smile and Draco attempted to be polite. They went through the whole reception as if it was a role they were playing and nothing else.

They approached Harry and the Weasleys and Hermione smiled weakly. "Thank you all for coming." She said sincerely.

Harry looked at her stood up and gave her a hug. "Of course I would be here for you." He said in her ear. "Besides, I wouldn't have missed you slapping Astoria Greengrass for the world." He chuckled. She giggled at that.

He let go and looked at Draco. "Well, congratulations I suppose." He said to him civilly.

Draco's eyebrow rose. "Thanks Potter." He said quickly.

"Oh Hermione, you looked beautiful!" Molly said. "I'm so sorry Ron had to come and practically ruin everything." Molly said as she gave her a hug.

"Oh, don't worry yourself." Hermione answered. "It all worked out."

Arthur hugged her as well. "You look wonderful."

Molly looked at Draco skeptically but stuck out her hand anyway. "You take care of our Hermione." She said.

Draco took her hand and shook it lightly. "Of course." He answered. "She's a Malfoy now. We take care of our own."

They made their way to the Grangers who hugged them both and offered their congratulations. Draco was still unused to the idea of a warm and loving family and still felt strange being around them. Hermione held on to both her parents for a while before deciding to move on.

They stopped at the Malfoys' table and Hermione took a deep breath. Narcissa stood and kissed her son on his cheek. She nodded coolly at Hermione. "Congratulations, I suppose, though I'm not entirely sure that it's the right word to use. You're part of the family now, welcome or not." She said frigidly.

Lucius stood next to his wife and nodded. He looked at Hermione. "You're a Malfoy now. I do hope you act like one." He said coldly.

Hermione pursed her lips. "Yes, I am a Malfoy now. And if being a Malfoy entails being like you, then I certainly hope I do _no__t_ act like one." She shot back at Lucius.

Lucius huffed in anger. "Draco, I believe you ought to teach your wife some manners."

Draco sighed. "Seeing that we shall be living under one roof soon enough, I believe it would do us all some good if we all learned some manners." He said trying to keep an argument from happening at his wedding.

Hermione was somewhat surprised that he stood up for her as much as he did, though admittedly it wasn't much. Narcissa and Lucius glared at their son for a moment before sitting back down at their table. They were obviously dismissed.

As Ginny watched them, it broke her heart to see two people begrudgingly married especially when one of them was Hermione. In fact, she couldn't care less about Draco.

Blaise leaned over the two seats between them. "Hey. Ginny, right?" He asked. When she nodded her head and leaned over, he continued. "Do you think they'll be okay? I know Draco and I think he'll make it through, most of us purebloods half expected an arranged marriage anyway. But what about her? Will she be alright?"

Ginny sighed. "I hope so. I really truly hope so." She replied with a small smile.

He nodded and sat back up straight in his seat.

***************

Everyone had left by the time Hermione and Draco decided to retire. They finally went up to their room and when Draco closed the door behind him, they just stared at each other for a minute. Hermione looked around the large suite they were given. If there was anything to say for the Malfoys, they may not like her, but they certainly knew how to put on an event and make everyone very aware of their money.

Hermione noticed that in the middle of the room stood a large four poster with a navy blue comforter and bedside tables on each side. There was a bathroom off to the right and a large rug on the wood flooring under the bed and another rug between the bed and the bathroom. A fireplace was roaring on the wall opposite the bed and a dresser was on the wall next to the door. On the far wall was a large window, a small table and two chairs right next to it.

"So, um, I suppose I'll get changed in the bathroom and you can get changed in here." Hermione said as she picked up her overnight bag.

Draco nodded and she went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She turned the water on and splashed her face. The cool water felt refreshing and as she patted her face with a towel, she let out a long sigh. _I'm married._ She thought as looked into the mirror. _I'm married to Draco Malfoy._ She sighed again and opened up her overnight bag. She pulled out a long nightgown that had a flower pattern on it. She wasn't sure what she wanted to wear for her first married night but she decided that conservative was definitely the way to go. She wasn't sure if he had wanted to consummate their marriage tonight, after all, she had agreed to an heir. But she was hoping he didn't mean immediately. She took down her hair which were still full of curls and carefully hung up her wedding robes. She could feel herself flush at the idea of having to share a bed with him.

He had just finished changing into green pajama pants and a white t shirt when he heard her sigh from the bathroom. He couldn't help but run his hands through his hair as he got into bed. _Are we supposed to actually do something tonight?_ He wondered as he put a pillow behind his back and sat up. The idea gave him the heebie-jeebies and he felt a chill go down his spine. Just as he tried to think of an excuse to not go to bed, the bathroom door opened. And there Hermione stood in her long nightgown with her curls reaching down past her shoulders, chewing on her bottom lip as if she didn't know what to do next.

She slowly crossed the room and stood at the side of the bed looking at him carefully. She swallowed the lump that was in her throat when she pulled the blankets back and looked around. She saw both their wands on their respective bedside tables. For some reason, knowing her wand was near her took away some of her nerves. She got into bed and sat up, staring at her hands in her lap.

"Quite the day, wasn't it?" She asked, trying to break up some of the tension in the room.

"Yes, quite the day." Draco answered, looking straight ahead.

"So…we're married." Hermione said, though she could've smacked herself in the forehead for such an obvious statement.

"That we are." Draco replied, now inspecting the comforter.

"Are we supposed to…?" Hermione trailed off, her face burning red from bringing up _that_ topic.

Draco's head snapped towards her. "Umm…I don't know, it is our wedding night and all." He answered, the pit in his stomach returning full force.

All she did was nod, her eyes not leaving her hands in front of her. "So, what should we do…?" She started, again trailing off, not being able to bring herself to finish sentences.

"Are you saying you haven't been with anyone before?" Draco asked wide eyed.

Hermione looked up at him surprise. "Oh! No! That's not what I meant. I just meant, well, yea, I don't know what I meant, actually." She said quickly.

Draco let out a breath. He didn't know what he would have done if he was supposed to be her first. "Well, then, I suppose, maybe, we should sit closer?" He said awkwardly.

"Oh, right." She said as she scooted towards the middle of the bed until they were side by side, not touching, but almost. "Like this?"

"I suppose that would work." He said. He had never been in this kind of situation before. He couldn't help but feel awful. "Maybe I should try to kiss you?"

She licked her lips and nodded. He leaned forward and paused about an inch away from her face. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. Finally, he pressed his lips to hers and they both froze, as if their lips were stuck together and neither moved. Hermione felt her stomach lurch and Draco could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. They sat like that for a few seconds, neither moving, neither breathing. Finally, he pulled away. "Well, that was awkward." He said succinctly.

She nodded. "Yes, awkward would be the correct word." She answered.

_Blimey, that felt worse than I expected._ Draco thought which closely resembled the thoughts in Hermione's head.

_That was perhaps the most awkward moment of my entire life._ She thought as she closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

They stared at each for a few minutes longer, not really sure what to do. Draco sighed and decided to try again. He leaned over and heard her breath catch as she realized what he was doing. He kissed her again, this time a little more forcefully, but again, neither moved into the kiss nor encouraged it in any way. There was no spark, no desire and certainly no romance.

He pulled away again and shook his head. "This just isn't working, is it?" He asked.

Hermione shook her head. "Maybe we could, we could just hold hands." Hermione suggested, not sure what else to say.

Draco let out a breath. "Okay, let's try that." He said as he slowly lifted his hand and offered it to her. She grabbed it and they both resisted the urge to quickly remove it from the other's grasp. It still felt unnatural and just kind of wrong. Draco's hand was cool and dry while Hermione's was warm and soft.

"Maybe, we should just go to bed?" She offered, trying to end this awful night.

Draco nodded. "Bed then." He agreed. He took his wand and turned off the lights as they both settled down on their sides of the bed. They were still holding hands, attempting to get used to having the other there.

"Good night, Malfoy." Hermione said as she pulled the blankets up.

"Good night, Granger." He responded, as he attempted to get comfortable and closed his eyes.

"It's Malfoy, now." She said quietly, as if she couldn't believe she just said that.

Draco's eyes snapped open at her response. "So it is." His stomach turned over at that realization and he closed his eyes again, willing this terrible day to an end.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**A/N: Well, I have to admit, even I felt kinda awkward writing that scene. :-) So, now that the wedding is finally over with, I imagine the Granger/Malfoy dinner is coming up, and perhaps some classic Hermione/Draco fights as well. I foresee more awkward moments and perhaps eventually some hearts softening. What do you think? Any suggestions? Keep reviewing! You guys are doing great. I think it would be awesome if I could get over 100! :-) ~Chrissy**


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione looked around the room, no, her room, no, their room and sighed. She had spent all of Sunday cleaning up her old home and packing everything else. Draco had actually come to help her towards the end of the day, something she didn't expect but certainly appreciated. She left all of the furniture since she wouldn't need it at the manor. She had written a note to Ron telling him that he could have everything. He was supposed to come by for his things sometime later this week. She spent the night at her place while Draco went back to his flat to get everything moved into the manor as well. He had moved all his things Sunday night.

They had moved all her things into the manor and into their room on Monday, which she was currently standing in right now. The room had a king size four poster bed in the center made of a dark mahogany with a dark green comforter on top. Two bedside tables made of the same wood flanked each side. They had their own large bathroom, complete with two sinks, a large soaking bath tub and shower stall. There was a large fireplace on the far side of the room, with two plush green chairs in front of it with a small table between them. A large balcony went off their room, overlooking the garden and a large window was on the far wall as well. Of course, the curtains were dark green. Also, there were two walk in closets, one filled with Draco's things and now one filled with all of hers. In fact, the closet was so big, she still had plenty of room left over.

Draco had gone downstairs to talk to his parents while she finished unpacking her things. She walked over and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the fire. She couldn't imagine never going back to her home or thinking of the manor as her new home. It just seemed so strange.

Draco walked in and saw Hermione near the fire. "Would you like me to show you the rest of the wing?" He asked.

Hermione looked up and nodded. She got up and followed him out the door.

Draco opened the first door on the right. "This is your study." He said as they walked in, putting his hand on the small of her back. While packing they had agreed that they should at least attempt to act more like a couple.

Hermione tensed slightly at the contact but then relaxed quickly, attempting to get used to it. She looked around to see all her books from her old home already on the bookshelves. There was a large desk in the middle of the room and a fireplace on the far side, again with chairs situated in front of it. The place was sparsely decorated, and everything had a bland color to it.

"You are welcome to decorate this room however you please." He informed her as he walked out of the room. She followed him out the door.

He walked directly across the hall and opened the door. "This is my study." He said.

The study looked very similar to hers except with green and brown being the primary colors. The bookshelves were also full of books and a few things were already on top of the desk. She walked out the door and waited for him to close the door behind him.

They walked down the hall for a little while before they came to large double doors at the end. He opened them and she gasped when she entered. In front of her was a very large library, filled to the ceiling with books. A large fireplace was in the room with plenty of couches, chairs and tables filling the room.

"This is our library. My parents have another one in their wing." Draco said with a smirk on his face as he watched Hermione walk around in amazement.

"This is huge!" She said as she looked at the books and ran a finger along the spines.

"I imagine you will be spending a lot of time here." Draco said as he watched her.

She nodded her head. "I hope to, at least."

Draco pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and walked over to her. "Here." He said as he gave it to her.

She looked at the paper and saw a bunch of numbers. "What is this?"

"These are all the account numbers and access codes to our bank accounts, both in Gringotts and in muggle money. I went to the banks yesterday and added your name to all the accounts." He explained as if conducting a business transaction. "You're welcome to decorate your study however you wish, but if you want to change anything with our room or the library, I would appreciate it if you talked to me first. Also, the bottom number is the account number that's on file at every store on Diagon Alley, if you ever need to go shopping."

She folded the paper back up and put in her pocket. "Thank you."

Draco nodded. "I hope you like it here." He said sincerely. He certainly had tried to make the transition as seamless as possible. He then turned around and left the room, leaving her to her own devices.

She promptly grabbed a random book and plopped down on a plush chair near the fireplace. _I could get used to this._ She thought as she opened the book.

***********

Hermione was sitting next to the fireplace in her library, reading a book on centaurs, trying to get some work done when Draco walked in to the room. She looked up at him to see him smirking. They had been married for two weeks already, but she was still unaccustomed to living with him. She was certainly getting used to his presence but it still threw her off sometimes, mostly when she first woke up or when she was lost in a book. Since they had gotten married, both had tried not to call each other by their surname, since they now shared it. However, it seemed that calling each other by their first name was difficult, so both just avoided it when they could.

"You will not believe what I heard at the office today." Draco said, a grin attempting to show itself.

"What has you giddy as a schoolboy?" Hermione asked, her interest piqued.

Draco stood next to her chair and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Well, your former fiancé has been assigned a spouse." He said.

Hermione put down her book. "And what does this have to do with me?" She asked confused.

"He has been paired with Millicent Bulstrode!" He exclaimed.

"No! You can't be serious!" Hermione gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. She wasn't one to listen to gossip, but even she had heard about the type of person Millicent was and how no one in their right mind would marry the girl.

Draco nodded, eager to go on. "Apparently, her father had bribed a Ministry official to pair her with a pureblood. So they did, and they gave her Weasley!" He said, his excitement showing.

"Oh, that is rich!" Hermione said, a giggle coming out of her mouth. In a burst of giddiness, Hermione popped out of her chair and hugged her husband. "Ron must be going mad!" She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"He certainly deserves it!" He responded happily, returning the hug.

The stayed like that for a moment when they suddenly were aware of their position, and quickly untangled themselves from each other. "Sorry 'bout that. Don't know what came over me." Hermione said, a blush rising to her cheeks. While she was still getting used to touching him, it seemed to be getting a easier.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Draco said, looking down at the floor. In fact, he was a bit surprised at the contact between the two. "We are married, I'm sure hugging is allowed." He said, trying to ease the situation.

Hermione smiled at that. "I'm sure you're right." She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment when she got back to the topic at hand. "I must floo Harry and see what he says!"

However, it seemed Harry had the same idea. The fireplace quickly turned green and Harry's face showed up. "Hermione? You there?" He asked when he saw them both. "Oh, hello Hermione, Malfoy. Did you hear the news?"

"You mean the news that Ron has to marry Bulstrode?" She practically burst.

Harry laughed. "Yep, that's the one! Can you believe it?"

"Do you know the date?" Hermione asked.

"Next Saturday, apparently. " Harry answered.

"The git deserves it." Draco said, though it sounded like it was meant more for himself.

"That he does." Harry agreed. "I still haven't talked to him, you know."

Hermione nodded. "I haven't talked to him since the wedding."

"Well, anyway, I need to go, I just wanted to spread the news." Harry said. He waved and suddenly the flames were normal again.

"Bulstrode is going to make life hard for him, that's for sure." Draco said.

"Was she really that bad?" Hermione asked.

Draco just nodded. "I'll have to tell you some stories sometime." Draco paused for a moment, but continued. "Hey, would you like to go out to dinner tonight?"

Hermione looked surprised but agreed. "Sure, that would be nice."

Half an hour later, both were seated at an expensive restaurant off of Diagon Alley. Draco had ordered a bottle of red wine and they were waiting for the order to come in. It was the first time they had been out together on anything that resembled a date, so both were a little nervous.

Hermione took a sip of her wine and found that she really enjoyed it. "This is delicious." She said taking a bigger sip of it. _Maybe some wine would help me from feeling like a teenager on a first date. For Merlin's sake, I'm married!_ Hermione thought to herself.

"It's the finest from France. It's from the Bordeaux region." Draco answered taking a generous sip of it himself. _A little bit of wine is probably all I need to relax a little._ He thought to himself.

"You know, I do believe this is our first date." Hermione said, taking another gulp of wine.

"That may be true." Draco agreed. "To your former flame getting what he deserves." He said as he raised his glass.

Hermione laughed and clinked hers against his. "Indeed." She agreed.

They both quickly found that the more they drank, the more they talked and got along. By the time dinner came, the bottle was done and another was ordered.

"So tell me, what's so bad about Bulstrode?" Hermione said, her cheeks a rosy color from the alcohol.

Draco smirked. "Back at Hogwarts in our 7th year, a guy ran out of her room saying that she threatened to castrate him, without using magic." He said laughing at the memory.

Hermione giggled. "Oh, Ron's in trouble." Hermione said as the waiter showed up with another bottle and opened it for the couple.

Draco took the bottle and refilled her glass and then his. "And then there was this time, a couple of years ago, her father had finally found some bloke to take a ton of galleons in exchange for marrying her. About a month before her wedding, the poor guy called it off saying that there wasn't enough money in the world to make him spend his life with a crazy, high maintenance and jealous witch like her."

Hermione laughed. "Jealous?! She's a jealous one? Oh, that's bloody fantastic!" She said as she drank from her glass. "Do you have any idea what Astoria's doing?"

Draco's face darkened. "According to Blaise, she has been moping around. Supposedly, her parents are looking for a match for her but were deeply disappointed she lost the security a marriage to me would have brought her." He paused for a moment. "Silly bint, I still can't believe the stunts she tried to pull."

Hermione tried to look serious but couldn't help giggling. When Draco looked at her curiously, she explained. "Sorry. I was just thinking about how quickly the last month went and how different our lives are now. It just seemed kind of funny the way everything worked out."

"How so?" Draco asked.

"Well, think about it. If I would have told you a month ago that we both would call off our weddings, marry each other, and be sitting here drinking wine, you would've told me I had gone mad!" She giggled.

Draco couldn't help but smile at that. "That's certainly true. I would not have believed one word of it."

By the time dessert arrived, the second bottle was polished off and a third was on their table. "You know, Malfoy, you're not so bad." Hermione slurred slightly, her face flushed from all the drinking.

"Neither are you, Granger." Malfoy agreed, his normally pale skin tinged with pink.

"It's Malfoy, now." Hermione reminded him. She looked over at him and she couldn't help but smile. _When did my husband become so good looking?_ She wondered to herself.

Draco looked over at his wife and smiled. "So it is." He answered. _She certainly is my beautiful wife now._ He thought. _I wonder why I never noticed how pretty she was before._

Hermione took another gulp of her wine and smiled. "This has been quite a lovely dinner." She said, her head feeling kind of fuzzy.

"Are we ready to go?" Draco asked, emptying his wine glass in a single gulp.

She nodded her head and when she stood up; she found that she needed to hold on to the table to keep her steady. "Blimey, we must have drank quite a bit." She said giggling.

Draco came up to her and grabbed her arm. "We did go through three bottles." He said, swaying slightly as he brought them to the floo in the restaurant.

They floo'd back to the manor and made their way upstairs, falling over each other and giggling at the same time.

"Shh! You'll wake your parents!" Hermione said as they stumbled up the stairs.

Draco laughed. "Nah, they're too far away!" He said as he finally got them into their bedroom.

The fire roared to life as they entered the room and Draco closed the door behind him. Hermione went over to the bed and sat down on the edge, her head spinning slightly.

Draco quickly walked over to her and sat next to her. "You know, you're beautiful." He said and then quickly put his hand over his mouth. "I don't think I meant to say that out loud." He said through his hands.

Hermione's eyes got wide and then she started giggling. "You're not bad looking either, you know."

"Not bad looking? That's all I get?" Draco said, pretending to be hurt.

"Well, as far as I can tell." Hermione teased.

"That's because you haven't seen all of me!" Draco said, grinning.

Hermione smirked. "That's because you haven't showed me."

Draco took the challenge and pounced on top of her. She squeaked as he pushed her back in bed and he threw his shirt off. "Now what do you think?" He asked teasing her further.

Hermione pretended to think for a bit. "Well, I suppose it'll do." She said with a smirk.

"That's not all I can do." Draco said darkly, his eyes glazing over.

Before Hermione could protest, Draco kissed her fiercely and passionately. Throwing caution to the wind, Hermione responded vigorously and kissed him back.

*******************

Hermione awoke the next morning with a pounding headache. She groaned as she put her hand to her head. _How much did I drink last night?_ She wondered to herself. Suddenly, she realized that she didn't feel quite right, regardless of the headache. Quickly she looked down and realized that she was naked. She squeaked and pulled the blanket up to her chin. She tried to think back to the night prior, memories painfully entering her head. She gasped when pieces of the prior night were recalled. She slowly turned her head and saw an equally naked Draco. She groaned. _Oh sweet Merlin, what did we do?_ She thought to herself when she heard a groan next to her.

Draco awoke, the light blinding his eyes and he closed them again. "I have the most awful headache." He said as he rolled over to his side. He opened his eyes to see Hermione, her eyes wide and clutching the blanket. "What on earth…" He started when he followed her eyes and looked down. "Oh for the love of Merlin!" He exclaimed as he grabbed the sheet and covered himself. He groaned again and laid back down on his back, his head on his pillow with two words entering his mind. _Bloody hell…_

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

**A/N: First off let me say, over 100 reviews! You all are awesome! Thank you so much! I couldn't do it without you! I know this chapter took me a while to get up, it was hard to try to make a transition. I've changed my mind a little on the order of things. Don't worry the dinner will still happen soon. Are they going to regret what happened? I hope you all enjoy the chapter, it's gonna get interesting from here. :-) Keep reviewing and let me know what you think! ~Chrissy**


	10. Chapter 10

Draco groaned as he laid there for a minute remembering the night before. His arm was over his eyes, blocking the bright sunlight that was fueling his raging headache.

"Bixby." He half said, half groaned.

The elf apparated into the room with a loud crack, making both occupants wince. "Yes master?"

"We are in desperate need of two bottles of hangover potion." He said. The elf nodded and apparated away only to be back within a minute.

The elf gave a bottle to each person and disappeared. Draco sat up in bed and drank the potion quickly and then fell back to wait for the potion to take effect.

Hermione also drank the potion quickly, anything to get rid of the damn headache. She could feel her headache diminishing within a minute and she sighed in relief as she started to feel better. She looked around again, still holding the blanket close to her chin. Draco was still laying down, an arm still over his eyes, the sheet covering all essential parts.

"Do you remember…?" She asked hesitantly, not sure what to say.

"Yes, of course I bloody well remember." Draco responded, not bothering to move.

Hermione pursed her lips, not thrilled about his response. "You shouldn't have gotten me so drunk." She said petulantly.

"Me? I got you drunk?" Draco asked incredulously, still not moving from his spot. "Last I checked you were a grown woman and could take care of yourself." He shot back.

"Well, you were the one ordering all the wine." She argued.

"You were the one drinking all of it!" He shot back.

"You shouldn't have taken advantage of me!" Hermione said, her anger rising.

Draco then shot up and looked at her. "I took advantage of you?!" He yelled. "Obviously, someone doesn't remember what happened last night, because I did no such thing!"

Hermione crossed her arms over the blankets. "Well, I obviously wouldn't have done this…" She motioned to each other. "…on my own volition!" She yelled back.

"Excuse me, but I do recall someone challenging me to show her 'all of me'." Draco said, pulling up memories from the night before.

Hermione blushed as she recalled. "Yes, but _you're_ the one who jumped on me and practically ravished me!" She yelled, her voice getting louder.

Draco glared at her and then quickly got out of bed, taking the sheet with him. "I can't believe this." He said as he walked away from her to the bathroom. "Don't try to pretend you're innocent in this because it takes two to tango. Just remember that." He said as he slammed the door behind him.

Hermione shook her head in disgust as soon as the door closed. _What a bloody prat._ She thought to herself. _No more drinking for you._ She got out of bed and quickly put a robe on and sat in one of the chairs waiting for him to get out of the bathroom so she could get ready.

**********

Hermione was once again sitting in the library when Draco came in. He barely looked at her and sat in a chair on the opposite side of the room. She sighed. It had been two weeks since the "incident" and neither Hermione nor Draco had brought the subject up, in fact, they barely even acknowledged the other's existence.

"My parents called today, they would like to come over for dinner and meet your parents." Hermione called out.

Draco looked up in surprise at the voice, since they hadn't willingly talked to each other for the past two weeks. "When?" He called back wanting to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

"In a week." She answered. "Do you think your parents will agree?"

"I don't know, let's find out, shall we?" He said as he stood up and walked back towards the door. She followed him out and down the hallway to find both his parents in their library.

"What brings the happy couple here?" Lucius said sarcastically when he saw his son and his wife come into the room. Narcissa looked up from her book expectantly.

"Go on, ask them." Draco prodded, smirking at the fact that he was throwing her under the bus, so to speak.

Hermione glared at him for making her do all the talking. "My parents would like to visit." Hermione started.

"And what does that have to do with us?" Lucius asked, his eyebrow quirked.

"They would like to have dinner with all of us." She finished, looking at the ground.

Draco waited for his parents to explode about how they wouldn't lower themselves to dine with muggles and his father did not disappoint him.

"There is absolutely no way…" Lucius started when he was cut off by his wife.

"You know, I was in Diagon Alley this morning, visiting the same shops as always…" Narcissa said suddenly. "…when someone stopped me to congratulate me on having such a well known war hero marry into my family."

Lucius looked at Narcissa carefully. "And why did you interrupt me with this useless piece of information?"

Narcissa narrowed her eyes at her husband but continued. "She wasn't the only person who has talked to me about our son's nuptials. In fact, having, _Hermione…"_ She said slowly, as if she wasn't used to calling her by her name. "…in our family has raised our status quite a bit. Everyone believes that we have lost all our prejudices against mudbl…I mean, muggleborns." She looked at Hermione appraisingly.

Lucius finally caught on to what his wife was saying. "I see. So, perhaps having her parents over for dinner wouldn't be such a bad idea." He said, the information sinking in.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the blatant manipulation of the public's opinion based solely upon her somewhat forced marriage. "I hope that this means you won't be insulting my parents." Hermione said, hoping for a peaceful dinner.

Draco smirked. He couldn't imagine his parents actually eating at the same table as muggles. In fact, he thought it would have never been possible.

Narcissa smiled an obviously fake smile. "Of course dear, we're all…family, now aren't we?" She said a little too nicely. "When were you planning for it?"

"A week from now, next Saturday." Hermione answered, wishing the conversation would end so that she could leave the room.

"Very well, we'll have the elves cook up something grand." Narcissa said. "Won't we, Lucius?"

Lucius nodded his head. "Of course. A brilliant idea my darling wife."

Draco frowned at the turn of events. He was hoping his parents would have put a stop to having her parents over but obviously that wasn't going to happen. Now he had another awkward dinner to look forward to. As if his life hadn't been full of awkward moments as of late. "Well, that's all. Good night Father, Mother." Draco said as he turned on his heel and left the room.

"Good night." Hermione called, following him out of the room as quickly as possible.

***********

Hermione awoke with an awful feeling. She bolted from bed and got to the bathroom just in time to empty her stomach. She rested her head against the cool porcelain and sighed. She had had this stupid stomach flu for the past 2 days already. She could barely keep down anything. Even Draco was starting to get concerned.

There was a knock on the door and she knew Draco was behind it. "Are you okay in there? Seriously, I think you need to see a healer. Your parents are coming over for dinner tonight and maybe a healer can give you a potion or something for the flu."

She sighed again before another wave of nausea hit her. After a minute she got up off the floor and went to the sink. She cleaned herself up and brushed her teeth and left the room to see Draco waiting for her, an almost concerned look on his face.

"Perhaps you're right. I don't want to give this to any of my family and I'm somewhat surprised you haven't caught it yet. This is the most awful flu I have ever had." She said as she got back into bed. She looked at the clock. 6:00am. She groaned and flopped back down.

Draco got into bed next to her. "Good. This is the third day of being sick and like you said, I don't particularly feel like getting this flu. It looks downright awful." He said looking at his wife's pale face. "I'll call for the healer to come by this morning."

"You mean I don't have to go anywhere?" She asked turning her head to look at him.

Draco chuckled. "No, of course not. We have our own private healer who does house calls."

"Right." She said before falling back asleep.

She awoke to the sound of a door opening and closing and saw an older man wearing the blue robes of a healer walking towards her. Draco was standing near the door, watching everything. She attempted to sit up when another wave of nausea hit her but luckily was able to keep it down. The healer got to her side of the bed and looked at her carefully.

"You may leave now, Mr. Malfoy." The healer said.

Draco looked surprised but then nodded his head. "Let me know when I can come back in." He said and then promptly left the room.

"So, Mrs. Malfoy, what seems to be the problem?" The man asked with a kind smile.

"I have had the most dreadful stomach flu. My parents are coming over and I was hoping you could give me something to settle my stomach." She said, pushing some stray hairs out of her face.

"The stomach flu, you say?" The healer asked taking out his wand. "For how long?"

"This is the third day." She answered as he started to wave his wand over her, mumbling some spells to himself.

His wand turned a bunch of different colors, first white then yellow then green. He smiled warmly and looked at her. "So, tell me, what is the worst time of the day for your nausea?"

Hermione thought about that for a moment. "I would have to say in the mornings. But I generally don't feel so well throughout the day." She answered.

The healer nodded his head. "Well, Mrs. Malfoy, you certainly don't have the stomach flu." The healer said smiling.

"No? Then what it is?" Hermione asked, completely perplexed about what was wrong with her.

"Congratulations. You're having a baby." The healer said kindly.

"WHAT?!?!" Hermione yelled out. "You can't be serious!"

Just then Draco burst into the room. "Is everything okay in here? I thought I heard you scream."

The healer looked over at him and smiled. "Everything is fine, Mr. Malfoy. Please give us a few more minutes and your wife can explain everything to you."

Draco looked at his wife and she nodded her head. He then exited the room again, closing the door behind him.

The healer then looked back at Hermione and took a few potions out of his bag. "Take this blue one for the nausea every day. It will keep the morning sickness at bay. I'm not saying it will get rid of all of it, but it should curb it some. And take this pink one every morning. These are your pre-natal vitamins. I will have my office send you a monthly supply every month."

Hermione nodded dumbly. "Are you sure, sir? I mean, are you sure I'm really pregnant?"

The healer just smiled. "I'm sure this comes to a shock to you, but yes I am absolutely sure. You're a married woman; surely you have nothing to worry about. This should be a joyous occasion." The healer said a little confused.

"Oh yes. Joyous. Occasion. That's what it is." She said slowly.

He handed her a blue and pink bottle. "Please take these two now."

She dutifully drank both, surprised at their rather pleasant taste.

"Okay, Mrs. Malfoy. I'm going to let your husband back in so you can share the news. I will be sending you more potions tomorrow." He said leaving the room.

He opened the door and told Draco he could enter. Draco walked into the room, closing the door behind him. He walked over to the bed, seeing the empty potion bottles on the table.

"Did he give you something for the flu?" He asked, pointing at the empty bottles.

"No." She answered, looking down at her hands.

He wrinkled his brow in confusion. "Did he tell you what's wrong with you?" He asked, trying to figure out why she was being so hesitant.

"Yes." She answered, not offering any information.

"Well, for Merlin's sake woman, tell me!" He said, his patience running thin.

Hermione took a deep breath and looked at him. "I'm pregnant." She said as she watched his eyes go as wide as saucers and all the blood drain out of his already pale face.

"Come again? I'm certain I didn't hear you correctly." Draco said, his voice shaking.

"I'm pregnant." She said again, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

Draco was silent and then sat down on the bed next to her. "How did this happen?" He said almost to himself.

"Well, you see, a couple of weeks ago…" Hermione started when she was cut off.

"I remember and I don't need to be reminded." Draco said rudely while running a hand through his pale blond hair.

"You must not have performed a contraception spell." Hermione said annoyed at his irresponsibility.

"I was bloody drunk at the time, if you don't remember." Draco argued back.

"Well, you still should have remembered!" Hermione said, her voice rising in anger. "If you would've remembered the damn spell, we wouldn't be in this mess."

Draco looked at her darkly. "You're a witch, too if I'm not mistaken. You could've cast one yourself!" He said, anger entering his voice.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "This shouldn't have happened." She said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Damn right it shouldn't have happened." Draco angrily agreed. "But it did and now we have to live with it. And I'm not letting you blame me for the whole thing because you were there too."

Hermione huffed. She wasn't used to a man who wouldn't let her get her way. Ron had usually just let her get mad and he'd feel bad and say he was sorry. No matter who was at fault. Harry, too. But not Draco. No. He had to argue with her and challenge her. She actually kind of liked that, not that she would admit it. "I can't believe I'm pregnant with _your _baby!" She seethed.

"Well of course it's _my_ baby. It couldn't be anyone else's." He shot back.

"You're insufferable." She said, glaring at him.

He narrowed his eyes back at her. "Look, I'm going to say it's the hormones talking and attempt to not fight with you. We can cancel dinner tonight if you'd like." Draco said, trying to keep his cool.

"No." She answered immediately. "I just wouldn't like to tell them so soon." She said, looking away from him.

Draco nodded his head. "Fine, I won't say anything." He got up and went towards the door. "When you're feeling a little more pleasant, come down and join us for lunch."

He shut the door behind him and Hermione put her head in her hands. _What am I going to do?_ She thought to herself. _How are two people who barely get along going to raise a baby?_

* * *

**A/N: I told you it was going to interesting. :-) In fact, so interesting, I couldn't wait to write it right away! Thank you everyone for all your support and reviews. They are all really uplifting. It's going to be a bumpy ride for the new couple...can't wait to dream up the rest! Please keep reviewing and letting me know what you think! It's really the best encouragement there is! ~Chrissy**


	11. Chapter 11

Draco was angry. It had been an hour since he had left their room and she never showed up for lunch. He had been trying to be nice by giving her time to cool off, but she couldn't even give him the time of day after accusing _him_ to be the cause of their current situation. As if she didn't have anything to do with it. He stormed up the stairs and threw open the door to the room.

"You're too good for lunch now..." He started angrily when his eyes fell upon her. She was still in bed, in fact, it looked as if she hadn't moved an inch. She was staring straight ahead; she didn't even look his way. Her eyes were red and her face was puffy, a tear slowly falling down her cheek. Instantly, all of Draco's anger dissipated. He closed the door quietly behind him.

He called for his house elf, and told him to bring back a sandwich and some tea. The house elf came back with a tray which Draco took from him and sent him away. Slowly he walked over to her and put the tray down on the bedside table. She still hadn't recognized his arrival but he didn't want to say anything either. He sat down on the bed, looking at her, not really knowing what to do. Watching a girl cry had never been his forte and he always seemed to be at a loss of words so instead he just sat there in silence.

"I don't know how to be a mother." Hermione said quietly, still staring straight ahead. "How are two people who can barely get along going to raise a baby?"

Draco still didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything. He had long since learned that it was better to say nothing than to say something completely inappropriate. Instead he took her hand hesitantly, and the contact finally made her look at him.

She looked straight at him and he tried to repress the wave of emotion that came through him after looking into her sad eyes. "I want our baby to have a real family. No one deserves any less." She whispered. "But how can we bring a baby into this?" Another tear fell and she wiped it away with her free hand.

The raw emotion in her voice made a chill go down his spine. Never had ever seen anyone so distraught nor did he ever think Hermione Granger, no, Hermione Malfoy would break down like this. Draco cleared his throat. "Look, I know we're not the ideal couple." He said slowly. "But at the very least, I'm sure we can work together to ensure a suitable environment for a child."

She looked at him as her eyes watered and she choked back a sob. "Do you really think so?" She said thickly.

Draco gave her a small smile. "We've worked together for the last 5 years, remember? How many cases have I won because of your reports?" He said ruefully. "And no project at work has ever been as important as this."

She wiped away the remaining tears and gave him a small smile. "I suppose you may be right." She sat up straighter.

He smirked. "Of course I'm right. I'm always right." Draco picked up the tray and continued before she could argue. "Now eat, I'm sure you're famished. You need to take care of the little one, too." He said as he put the tray on the bed.

**********

"Your parents will be here in 5 minutes." Draco said as he walked into the room.

Hermione was brushing her hair in front of a mirror. "I know. I'll go down to the foyer where the portkey will bring them." She said putting down the brush.

"How are you feeling?" Draco asked.

"Better. My stomach is a little funny but overall I'm feeling okay." She answered smoothing out her blouse.

She walked out the door and down the stairs and waited for her parents. She felt like she could finally get through the manor without getting lost. Draco stood next to her, while his parents waited in their sitting room. Soon, her parents were standing in front of them, slightly disoriented.

"Mum! Dad!" Hermione squealed as her parents stood up straight. She ran over to them and engulfed them in a big hug.

"Hermione!" They both yelled out as they hugged her. "It's so good to see you!"

They both looked up and saw Draco looking a bit uncomfortable with all the affection. "Hello Draco." Richard said walking over to him with his hand extended.

"Hello." He said shaking his hand.

Abby came over and gave Draco a hug as well. "Thank you for having us over." She said nicely. He tensed up with the contact but attempted to relax.

"Well, the Malfoys are waiting in the sitting room." Hermione said pointing down the hallway.

For the first time, the Grangers took a look around. "Wow." Abby said as she looked at the large foyer with the marble staircase and glass chandelier. "This is where you live now?"

Richard whistled. "Quite a change, huh?"

Hermione smiled. "Well, remember, I lived in a castle at Hogwarts for 7 years."

Abby looked her daughter and smiled. "I suppose you did."

They followed Draco and Hermione down the hall to the sitting room where Lucius and Narcissa were waiting.

They walked in and Narcissa and Lucius immediately stopped talking, making it obvious that they were the topic of conversation. "Mum, Dad, you remember the Malfoys, right?" Hermione said as civilly as possible.

"Good evening." Lucius said, with an obviously forced smile on his face.

"Of course." Abby said warmly. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise." Narcissa said with an incline of her head and an overly fake smile. She clapped her hands together and a house elf holding a camera apparated into the room. Richard and Abby jumped a bit at the loud crack that followed the apparition. "If you don't mind, I would like to take this opportunity to take a...family portrait."

Hermione looked at Draco curiously and Draco just shrugged. He had no idea what his parents were up to, but they were certainly up to something.

"That sounds like a splendid idea." Abby said enthusiastically.

Narcissa pointed at a loveseat that was pushed in front of the fireplace. "Let's have the newlyweds sit on the sofa and we'll stand behind them."

They all walked over, stood as she had said and the house elf took a few pictures. "Thank you." Narcissa said to the Grangers. The house elf bowed and then apparated away.

"Dinner is ready, shall we?" Narcissa said once again, pointing at the door.

They all went to the dining room where the Grangers were sat across from Draco and Hermione and the Malfoys both sat at the ends of the table. As soon as they sat down, the table filled with food. Everything from steak, chicken, seafood and vegetables were on the table and steaming.

"This looks wonderful, Narcissa." Abby said, politely.

Narcissa winced slightly at the use of her first name but managed to smile. "Thank you…Abby."

They started to pass food around and filled up their plates. Draco passed Hermione a plate of shrimp cocktail when she froze. The smell of the shrimp didn't sit right with her and a wave of nausea hit her almost immediately. Draco looked at her as she turned pale and then green. She pushed the plate away, squeaked out an "excuse me" and ran from the dining room. Draco silently groaned.

"Draco, is your wife alright?" Narcissa asked, looking at the open door Hermione had just run through.

"Um, she hasn't been feeling well the past few days." He said trying to cover for her. "I'll go check on her." He said hurriedly as he got out of his chair and went to leave the room. But not before Abby gave him a knowing smile.

He heard the sound of retching coming from the bathroom down the hall and followed the sound. He stood outside the door where he heard the water run and a bit of shuffling before the door opened. Hermione stepped out looking very pale but a bit less green.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked when she came out.

"I'm certainly feeling a bit better." She said warily. "Remind me to stay away from shrimp." She said with a small smile. "What did you say?"

"I told them you weren't feeling well the last few days, but I'm not sure they bought it." Draco said seriously. "Actually, I'm quite certain your mother didn't believe me."

Hermione groaned. "I ruined it, haven't I?" She said as she leaned against the wall.

"Well, the not telling the parents part, I believe so." He said while shrugging his shoulders.

She leaned her head against the wall and sighed. "Do you think they'll be able to keep it a secret?"

Draco thought about it for a moment. "For the time being, I think so. But I wouldn't expect my mother to keep her mouth shut for too long."

She stood back up and took a deep breath. "Okay then, let's get this over with." She said as she walked back towards the dining room.

Everyone watched as the couple walked back into the room. Abby looked at her daughter with a concerned look but the Malfoys seemed to be uninterested in their daughter-in-law's health.

"Are you alright, dear?" Abby asked.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Actually, there's something I want to say." She looked at Draco and he nodded his head slightly. "Draco and I are going to have a baby."

Narcissa dropped her fork on her plate with a loud clatter and Lucius stopped with his fork half way to his mouth. They both had a look of complete shock written over their faces.

Hermione continued. "We would really appreciate it if you all could keep this a secret, at until the first trimester is over." She said looking down at her plate.

Lucius looked at his son with unbelieving eyes. "Is it yours, son?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Indeed it is, Father. And it looks as if you'll be a grandfather."

Abby had a small smile on her face as if she expected the news and quickly stood up and ran around the table to embrace her daughter. "Well, congratulations dear."

Richard walked over to Draco and clapped him on the back. "A congratulations is certainly in order." He said with a broad smile.

Narcissa finally found her tongue and broke her silence. "Yes, congratulations. I wasn't expecting this wonderful news quite so soon." She said slowly.

"Neither did we." Draco mumbled but only his mother heard him.

"When did you find out?" Abby asked curiously.

"Today. I'm about 3 weeks along." Hermione answered.

"Oh, you should be able to find out the gender in a couple of weeks then." Narcissa said.

"A couple of weeks?" Abby asked surprised.

"Oh yes, Mum. With magic, we can find out much sooner." Hermione answered.

Narcissa's initial shock was quickly replaced with excitement of a grandchild. "Well, it seems like we have some work to do to get ready for a Malfoy child." She said clapping her hands together. "We will need to start preparing."

"Oh, there's no need to start so soon." Hermione said, skeptical of her mother-in-law's enthusiasm.

"Nonsense." She said quickly. "It's never too soon to prepare for a Malfoy heir."

Richard gave his wife a quizzical look and Abby just shrugged.

The dinner went quickly after that, talking mostly about the upcoming baby. Hermione did her best to not say too much, not quite ready for the excitement having a baby usually causes. In her mind, she was still worrying about how to bring up a baby in a half hearted marriage. And she was certainly not ready to really deal with all of it. She still needed to think of a plan of action. She always needed some kind of plan.

Draco had long since tuned out the conversation. He was still in shock at the idea of being a father and was not ready to talk about it, with anyone. He filled his head with random other things: work, quidditch, new spells, anything to get his mind off of the current topic of conversation.

Soon, the conversation moved into the sitting room where talk of the baby continued much to the chagrin of the newly married couple.

"Well, there's a charming private school not too far away that I'm sure has a nursery school." Abby said helpfully.

Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "A muggle school? My grandchild will not be attending a muggle school."

"There's nothing wrong with our schools, Narcissa." Abby said trying to keep her cool. "Look at how bright Hermione is."

At her name, Hermione started to pay attention to the conversation, her eyebrows rising as she saw the tension levels increasing.

"Yes, well, she might be bright but Malfoy children are homeschooled until they go to Hogwarts." Narcissa said, her nose in the air. "It's just the way things are."

"Homeschool? Why that's ridiculous!" Abby exclaimed. "Children need to be socialized!"

"Socilaized? With other filthy muggles!" Narcissa yelled. "I won't hear of it!"

"Filthy?! Who are you calling filthy?!" Abby yelled back.

"Abby, dear. I think you need to calm down." Richard said, putting an arm over her shoulders.

"Quite right, darling. Yelling does not become you." Lucius said condescendingly.

Both women harrumphed. "Besides, isn't this Hermione and Draco's decision?" Richard asked trying to help.

Suddenly all sets of eyes looked at the couple. Hermione was taken aback by the conversation and she realized that Draco was completely oblivious.

"I'm sure it's something Draco and I will discuss." She said diplomatically, trying to ease tensions, even though she knew there was no way she would allow her children to be homeschooled. However, she decided now was not the best time to bring that up.

Draco finally noticed the silence in the room and looked around confused. His mother was staring down Hermione's mother. "What's going on here?" He asked curiously.

Hermione elbowed him in the ribs to get him to be quiet. "Nothing." She said to him quickly and then tried to change the subject. "Gee, look at the time, it's getting late!" She said exaggeratedly looking at her watch and yawning.

Richard took her cue. "Yes dear, we really ought to be going." He held out the picture frame Draco had given them as a portkey. "I'm not really sure how to get home, though." He said smiling.

Draco took the portkey and touched it with the tip of his wand. "It'll go off in 2 minutes." He said handing it back to Richard.

"Well, thank you for a lovely dinner." Richard said helping Abby to her feet. They both gave Hermione a loving hug.

"Take care of yourself and the baby." Abby said as she hugged her and glared at Narcissa over her shoulder.

"I will, Mum." Hermione answered, somewhat sad to see her parents leave.

Richard held the portkey out to Abby and she grabbed on. "One day I'll get used to this." Abby said ruefully.

30 seconds later, the portkey flashed and they were gone. Draco and Hermione then quickly said good night and retired to their bedroom. As they got into bed, Hermione sat up.

"You know, I think you were right about something this morning." She said after a lot of thought.

"What's that?" He answered curiously.

"We have worked on projects together, successful projects at that." She said carefully.

Draco sat down in bed next to her. "Yes, what about it?"

"Well, maybe that's how we have to think of this baby, like a project as you suggested. We'll have goals and a timeline and a list of materials that we need and we'll just make sure we accomplish what we need to." She said thoughtfully. "We can be like a team."

Draco thought about what she said for a moment before answering. "Yes, that's probably the most logical way to think about it. We'll accomplish what we need to and try to keep our fights and emotions down to a minimum." He agreed.

She nodded. "Exactly. We can be responsible parents even if we aren't in love with each other." She said.

"Quite right." Draco said. "I do care about my son or daughter and want what is best for him or her."

Hermione agreed. "I do, too." She yawned and leaned back into bed. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt for us to attempt to be nice to each other, though."

Draco also laid down and snuggled under the blankets. "No, I suppose it wouldn't. I'll try if you try." He said.

"Deal." She said sleepily.

Draco reached for her hand and she put her inside of his. "Good night." Hermione said, practically asleep already.

"Good night." He responded, closing his eyes.

* * *

**A/N: Hey all! First off, I know some of you think I made Hermione to be pretty mean in the last chapter, but think about the situation she's in; she's pretty mad at the circumstances and full of emotion. I hope that I was able to convey in this chapter that she wasn't purposefully being mean, she was just really upset and confused. Draco just happened to be what she lashed out at. He wasn't exactly a peach, either. Anyway, that's my explanation and I'm sticking to it. :-) This chapter is the beginning of their truce. Lets see what happens from here, shall we? Haha. Thank you all for reviewing! It's really wonderful! You all rock! Please keep it up! ~Chrissy**


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione looked down at her flat belly. It was hard to believe that something was actually growing in there. Granted, she had only been pregnant for a month and a half but it certainly didn't _look_ like there was a baby in there. She put her hand on her stomach and rubbed it in a circle. She hadn't been getting sick since taking the potion and it didn't seem like much had changed in her life.

"Mrs. Malfoy, are you ready?" The healer said as he walked into the room behind Draco.

Hermione nodded and laid down on the bed. The healer walked over to her with Draco standing behind him, watching.

The healer took out his wand once again and waved it over her stomach. "It seems like everything is going well." He said nodding at the colors his wand turned. "Have you been taking your vitamins?"

Hermione nodded again. "Yes, sir. I take them every morning." She reported.

The healer nodded as he touched the tip of his wand to her stomach and the sound of a faint heart beat was heard.

Hermione gasped. "Is that the heart beat?"

Draco came closer to hear it better, his eyes widening at the sound.

"Yes, it is. It sounds strong." He said smiling. "Are you ready to find out what you're having?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Yes." She answered concisely. She watched Draco start to fidget as he waited for an answer.

The healer once again took his wand and waved it over her stomach. He mumbled a spell under his breath and his wand flashed white and then turned a bright blue. He smiled. "Congratulations, you're having a boy."

"A boy?!" Draco exclaimed.

The healer smiled again. "That's right, a boy."

Hermione smiled and put her hand on her stomach. "A boy." She said to herself.

"Well, continue to take care of yourself, Mrs. Malfoy. I'll be back in a month to check your status." The healer said as he left the room.

Draco stood next to the bed staring at Hermione's stomach, a smile playing on his face. It was the first real smile Hermione had ever seen from him.

"We're having a boy." She said, a tinge of disbelief in her voice.

Draco's eyes snapped up to meet her own and he sat down on the bed next to her. "I'm going to have a son." He said wistfully.

He looked down at her and he felt like his eyes were being open for the first time. _This is no longer just my wife, but the mother of my son._ He thought to himself, the importance of the woman in front of him somehow increasing.

Hermione started to get uncomfortable with how intensely Draco was looking at her. He seemed to be lost in thought so she cleared her throat. He shook his head slightly and tilted it a little.

"I would like to tell Harry." She said quietly, not sure how he would take it.

Draco looked at her for a moment before he nodded his head. It would probably be a good idea for her to talk to someone. "If you wish." He answered.

Hermione smiled. "I'll go visit later." She said, happy he acquiesced.

Draco stood up and offered her his hand. "Let's go get some lunch." He said softly.

Hermione looked at him for a moment before putting her hand in his and letting him help her up. She was about to say something about being able to do it on her own when she changed her mind. "Thank you." She said instead when she got to her feet.

He smiled at her and nodded his head before putting his hand on the small of her back to lead her out of the room.

**********

"Harry?" Hermione called from her fireplace. "Harry, are you there?"

She saw someone move in front of the fireplace and noticed it was Ginny. "Hey Gin!" She called.

"Hi Hermione! How's it going?" She asked, looking into the flames.

"You mind if I come through?" Hermione asked, wanting to tell them the news in person.

"Sure! Harry's in the kitchen." Ginny said stepping back from the fireplace.

Hermione walked through and looked at the familiar surroundings of Harry's place, the old Order of the Phoenix headquarters. Ginny embraced her in a hug and squeezed tightly.

"It's so good to see you! I haven't seen you since you're wedding!" Ginny squealed.

"It's good to see you, too!" Hermione said, hugging her back.

"Gin, are you talking to someone?" Harry called as he rounded the corner into the room. "Hermione!"

"Hi Harry." Hermione said as she was enveloped in yet another hug.

"How have you been? It's been so long!" Harry said as he let go of her. "Come into the kitchen, I just made some tea."

They all walked into the kitchen and he poured three cups of tea as they sat around the table.

"So, how's life at the manor?" Ginny asked, taking a sip of tea.

"It's actually not that bad." Hermione answered. "Since I'm on the complete opposite side of the house from his parents, I never see them. I'm usually in the library in our wing."

"You have your own library?" Harry asked.

"Yes. And that's where I floo from. The only time I really see them is for meals and we usually eat those quietly." She said, taking a sip of her tea.

Harry looked at her. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"How is it being married to Malfoy?" Ginny asked, a sly smile gracing her face.

"We still fight a lot." Hermione said. "But we're trying to get along."

"Really? You guys are getting along?" Harry asked, his eyebrow raised.

"We're trying." She said. "Sincewearegoingtohaveababy." She mumbled quickly.

"What was that? We didn't quite catch that last part." Harry asked as he took a sip of his tea.

"I said, we're trying…since we're going to have a baby." She said slowly and quietly.

Harry's tea went spraying all over the table and Ginny's teacup clattered back down. "WHAT?!" They both yelled in unison.

Hermione continued to look down at her tea, as if it was the most interesting specimen she had ever seen. "Yea…" Was all she could say in response.

Ginny was the first one to speak. "How far along are you?"

"About a month and a half." She answered quietly.

"Man, you guys are efficient!" She exclaimed which earned her a glare from Harry.

Harry cleaned up the tea with a wave his wand and continued to look at Hermione. "So, you're really pregnant. I didn't think you two were…on such good terms." Harry said astonished.

"We're not." Hermione sighed. "It wasn't on purpose, I can tell you that."

"So, tell us what happened!" Ginny gushed.

Hermione turned pink. "It's a pretty common situation, I suspect." Hermione said, not willing to look at either one of them. "We were drinking."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh. "But you don't drink!"

"I remember why, now." Hermione said, embarrassed.

Harry was still shocked. "So, you two got pissed and now you're pregnant?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, that about sums it up."

"Merlin, Hermione." Harry said, running his hand through his hair.

"Do you know what you're having?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"A boy." Hermione answered, a small smile playing on her face.

"Are you happy about this?" Harry asked, concerned.

Hermione's smile faltered as she looked at her best friend. "At first, I wasn't. In fact, at first, I was angry." She said, remembering back to about a month ago. "But, as I got used to it, it's really hard to not be excited about a life growing inside of you. I already love him and I've only been pregnant for a month and a half." She said, a smile finding its way on her face.

Harry watched her and couldn't help but smile in response. "Well, if you're happy Hermione, I'm happy for you." He said as he patted her hand on the table.

Ginny smiled widely. "I'm so excited!" Ginny said clapping her hands together.

"What does Malfoy think?" Harry asked suddenly, completely forgetting about him until now.

Hermione paused for a moment to think. "I think he's excited about it. I think he was skeptical at the beginning too, but I think he's starting to get excited about it. He was certainly happy when he heard that we're having a son."

"Well, he's getting his heir!" She said enthusiastically. "You know, we'll be here to help if you need it."

Harry's eyebrows knitted together in concern. "Do you two like each other enough to raise a baby?"

Hermione sighed. "That's why I said that we're trying." She answered. "We're really trying to get along for the sake of the baby."

"So has it been working? Have you two been getting along better?" Harry asked curiously.

"Somewhat." Hermione said. "We are fighting less and he has certainly been nicer to me. But there's still a bunch of awkward moments. I don't think we're really used to the idea of being married." Then she patted her belly. "But the baby is making us get used to it real fast."

Harry smiled lopsidedly. "I'm sure."

"It's strange." Hermione continued. "I know I got married because I didn't have a lot of options. And I know that we never really did get along. But it seems like, now that I'm pregnant, I can't just think of him as some guy who got stuck in a bad situation with me. He's now the father of my child and I can't help but think of him differently now."

Ginny cocked her head to one side. "Really? How so?"

Hermione smiled slightly as she thought about it for a bit. "I don't know yet. It's still new. But I can tell something is changing." She said thoughtfully.

Ginny smiled. "Well, that's certainly not a bad thing. I'm glad you're finding some happiness in this marriage of yours."

Harry agreed. "Yes, certainly more happiness than Ron is finding in his marriage." He smirked.

"Oh?" Hermione's eyebrows rose.

Ginny giggled. "I guess his new wife is a bit more of a handful than he can take." She answered. "She's really quite demanding and everything has to be just so. Not to mention that she's always saying something about marrying below her status."

Hermione chuckled. "Draco was saying something about some of the rumors that went around about Bulstrode."

"Draco?" Ginny asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Hermione chuckled again. "Well, I couldn't go around calling him 'Malfoy' could I? I live with 3 of them not to mention I am one now."

"I suppose you're right. I hadn't thought about it that way." Ginny said smiling. "Does that mean he calls you Hermione?"

Hermione shrugged. "Yes, if he has to. Again, Granger is no longer is valid. However, we both find it odd, so we just try not to call each other by our names at all."

Harry laughed at that. "That must be interesting, trying to avoid each other's names."

"Well, as you pointed out, it's impossible sometimes and I just have to remind myself what to call him." Hermione said. "Well, I guess I should be going. I told him I wouldn't be gone too long."

"Oh Hermione. Please come visit more often. We miss you so." Harry said as Hermione got to her feet. He stood up and gave her a hug.

Ginny agreed as she came over to join the hug. "Yes, Hermione. We'd like to see you more often. And again, anything we can do to help with the baby, just let us know."

"Thanks guys. I knew I could count on you." She said, wiping a tear from her eye.

Harry saw her do this and quirked his eyebrow. "You okay, Hermione?"

Hermione just smiled. "Oh, I'm fine. It's just the stupid hormones."

Ginny laughed. "I'm sure those are so much fun."

"It actually drives me crazy. I hope it gets better." She said, exasperated.

"Sure it will! In another 8 months!" Ginny laughed as they made their way to the fireplace.

"Well, I'll see you guys soon!" Hermione said as she floo'd back to the manor.

*************

Hermione was sitting in the library when Draco walked in and greeted her. "Hello." He said as he came up to her. "How was your visit?"

"It was very nice. I have missed them a lot." She answered, putting down her book.

"What did they say to the news?" He asked curiously.

"They were, of course, surprised. But very supportive and offered to help in any way." She said, proud of her friends' reactions.

Draco nodded. "Good. I'm glad it went well." He said. "Would you like to go to dinner tonight?"

Hermione cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?" She asked, a smile on her face.

Draco put his hands up in his defense. "There will be no alcohol, especially in your condition. I just thought it would be nice to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Well, we never did celebrate your pregnancy. And, now that we know you're having a boy, we could celebrate that, too." Draco answered.

"Are you saying girls aren't worth celebrating?" Hermione asked, her smile fading.

Draco sighed. "Of course not. If you were having a girl, I would've suggested the same thing."

Hermione found herself relieved at his answer. "Okay, then. Let's go to dinner."

Half an hour later they were in a nice restaurant off of Diagon Alley, of course not the same one as the last trip out. They were given a quiet table towards the back the restaurant and were looking over the menu. Draco pulled out her seat for her, something he hadn't done before. She quirked an eyebrow at him while sitting down.

"What will you be having?" Draco asked, setting down his menu.

Hermione's eyebrows knitted together as she thought. "Well, I want to stay away from too much red meat but I also read that tuna and swordfish has high mercury contents. I also read that I should stay away from any kind of raw fish." She continued to scan the menu. "I think I'm going to go with some salmon with lemon butter." She finally put down her menu.

Draco quirked an eyebrow. "How much have you read about pregnancy?"

"Well, I've finished 3 books already, one about what to expect, one about what to eat and another about how to stay in shape." She said counting them off her fingers.

Draco shook his head lightly. "How come I'm not surprised?" He asked smiling.

Hermione laughed. "Because I'm the brightest witch you know?" She said smiling back.

Draco nodded. "Yes, maybe that's why."

They both were silent for a moment, but for the first time, it was a comfortable silence, not an awkward one like they were used to.

"So, what should we expect, then?" Draco asked, trying to continue the conversation.

Hermione thought about it for a moment, trying to recollect important parts of the books. "Well, unfortunately, mood swings are normal. And strange cravings are apparently common."

"Strange cravings?" Draco repeated.

"Well, yes. Like pickles and ice cream or the like." She explained.

Draco face scrunched up. "That's appalling." He said thinking about it.

"Well, it's supposed to mean your body needs something. Like maybe calcium from the ice cream or the nutrients from a pickle." She said.

Draco hesitantly nodded. "Well, what else?"

"I'm, well, we're supposed to attend classes that get us ready for child birth and explain how I'm supposed to breath and your role in the whole thing." She said hesitantly.

"I have to attend a class?" Draco asked. "Why?"

"Well, do you intend on being there when the baby's born?" Hermione asked.

"Of course." He answered quickly.

"Well, then, wouldn't you like to know what you're supposed to do? You weren't just planning on standing there and doing nothing, were you?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh, well, I guess I hadn't thought about it." Draco answered honestly.

Hermione smiled. "Don't worry, we've got some time."

Draco smiled back at her. "I'll go to these classes if you'd like."

"I'd like that." Hermione answered. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much before."

Draco paused for a moment. "I don't think I have ever smiled this much before." He answered. "I suppose I'm excited about the baby." He said shyly.

Hermione patted his hand that was on the table. "Me too."

"I'm going to tell Blaise tomorrow." He said suddenly.

Hermione looked up at him and nodded. "That's fine. As long as he doesn't tell anyone."

The waiter came back with two champagne glasses and put it in front of them. Hermione quirked her eyebrow as he picked one up.

"Don't worry, it's just sparkling cider." He said handing her a glass.

She took it and watched him pick up his own.

"To our baby boy. The heir to the Malfoy name." Draco said lifting his glass.

Hermione couldn't help but smirk at the second part of his toast but raised her glass anyway and clinked it against his. She took a sip and smiled at her husband.

*************

That night, as they got into bed, they smiled at each other.

"I had fun tonight." Hermione said, laying down and snuggling under the covers.

"It was enjoyable." Draco answered, laying down on his side looking at her. "Can I, touch it?" He asked hesitantly as he looked at her belly.

Hermione was slightly startled by the question but nodded her head. "Go ahead. But you won't be able to feel anything yet."

He slowly took his hand and put it on top of her stomach. A smile came across his face as he put his head down on the pillow. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, his hand still on top of her belly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**A/N: Wow! So many reviews! I'm glad you all are enjoying the story. I've never had so many hits on a story before! This was a fun chapter to write, the two of them getting along and starting to realize how their lives are going to change. I'm trying to get them to realize how important the other will now become in their lives. However, I'm also trying not to push them along too fast. Unfortunately, we all know that it can't stay like this forever, right? ;-) FF was giving me some issues uploading this morning, but persistence pays off! Haha. Oh, and I went back and reread the old chapters to try to clean up some grammar errors. Hopefully it's much better now! Anyway, please keep on reviewing. It makes me smile and gives me motivation. Have a great weekend! ~Chrissy**


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey, Blaise, you there?" Draco called from the fireplace.

"Yea mate, what's going on?" Blaise called back standing in front of his fireplace.

"Is Daphne home?" Draco asked looking around.

"No, she's shopping. Come on through." He answered as Draco walked out of the fireplace and into his study.

Draco took a seat across from Blaise and couldn't hide a small smile.

Blaise looked at him strangely. Never had he seen Draco smile before. "So, what's going on, mate?" He asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to have a son." Draco answered seriously.

"A son? You mean your wife is pregnant?!" Blaise asked incredulously.

Draco nodded his head. "A Malfoy heir." He said wistfully, restating the fact that's they're having a boy.

"I thought you two didn't like each other?" Blaise said, quirking an eyebrow.

Malfoy waved his hand dismissively. "Yes well, it wasn't planned. We drank too much a while back and this was the result." Then he smiled again. "But a son!"

Blaise smirked. "So you're going to get your heir. I suppose a congratulations is in order, then." He said pouring two glasses of firewhiskey and hanging one to him. They clinked their glasses together and took a sip.

"Thanks." Draco answered, swallowing his firewhiskey.

"So, how _are_ you and the missus?" Blaise asked, a sly smile on his face.

"Better." Draco said thoughtfully.

"Better? How so?" Blaise asked curiously.

"Well, after we found out she was pregnant; we kind of made a truce - for the sake of the baby." He added quickly. "Now, we just seem to be getting along better. She's been reading a lot about pregnancy and it's different now that she's the mother of my child."

Blaise smirked and shook his head disbelievingly. "Mate, are you falling for your wife?"

"What?! No, of course not!" Draco said hastily, his eyes shifting around. "We're just ensuring a good environment for the baby."

Blaise looked at him for a minute before talking again. "You know, mate, it wouldn't be the end of the world for you to care about your wife."

Draco was about to retort with something but he hesitated instead. "I suppose I care about her to the extent that she is carrying my son. And that does change things a bit." He admitted.

Blaise laughed. "Well, I suppose that's as much of a confession as I'd ever get out of you!"

Draco glared at him. "Whatever." He said grumpily.

"Oh Draco, don't be like that! You're about to get your coveted heir!" Blaise said smiling.

Draco smiled at that. "That I am."

**************

"The lady would like to see you in her study." Bixby squeaked.

Hermione crinkled her brow in confusion. "What about?" She asked.

"I does not know, mistress." He responded.

"Very well, thanks Bixby." Hermione said, as she put down her book and got up. She patted her stomach unconsciously. She was 2.5 months pregnant and she knew that she wasn't showing yet. However, she liked to think that if she looked hard enough, she could see a small bump.

Hermione entered Narcissa's study and saw her sitting in front of the fireplace looking over a list of some sort. She cleared her throat and when Narcissa looked up, she beckoned her over to the chair next to her.

"As you well know, Christmas is only a few weeks away." Narcissa said as Hermione sat down. "We shall be hosting the annual Malfoy Christmas Ball and I expect you to be a hostess."

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "A Christmas Ball?"

"Yes, that is what I said. As the next Lady Malfoy, you are expected to be able to host a ball with poise and grace." Narcissa looked her up and down. "Something I will educate you in."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the comment but bit her tongue. "You expect me to plan a ball in less than 3 weeks?" She said incredulously.

Narcissa laughed. "Of course not. I will take care of the invitations and the guest list. I will even take care of the food. However, I would like you to take care of the decorations." She said as if she was doing her a big favor. "I wouldn't want to over stress you in your current condition." She added on, almost sincerely.

Hermione knew that Narcissa was thrilled that she was getting a grandson. Even Lucius had been nicer to her since finding out she was carrying a boy. They certainly weren't pleasant by any means but at least they were tolerable.

"Am I allowed to invite friends to the ball?" Hermione asked, aware that the baby she was carrying had more sway than she could ever hope for.

Narcissa looked at her for a moment, trying to decide what to say. "I suppose, if you must. I can supply you with a limited amount of invitations, since this is a very popular event, and you may send them out to whomever you like."

Hermione nodded, glad she could invite Harry. "Thank you." She said politely.

"We will need to go shopping for suitable robes for you." She eyed her up and down. "It doesn't seem like you're showing yet, so it shouldn't be too difficult. And we can go over your position as a Malfoy at the same time."

Hermione groaned inwardly. "Okay." She barely got out.

"I will send you catalogs for different decorations and have some people meet with you within the next few days." Narcissa went on. "Oh, and there are some catalogs in your room for things you will want for the nursery."

Hermione's ears perked up at that. "Draco and I decided to use the room across from us for the nursery."

"I'm aware. I'm sure you'll be able find whatever you need. Don't hesitate to order anything for the baby." Narcissa said.

Hermione could tell already that her child was going to be spoiled. She'd have to do what she could to keep him from being too spoiled.

"I will be sure to take a look at the catalogs." She said standing up. "If that's all.."

"I have kept to my word that I wouldn't tell anyone that you're pregnant." Narcissa said suddenly. "However, I would like to make the announcement at the ball."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Do you think that'll be such a good idea?"

"You will be done with your first trimester. I think I have been patient." Narcissa answered sternly.

Hermione stood there for a moment and thought about it. She had asked to wait until the trimester was over. And a public announcement was probably better than gossip. "Very well." She answered.

Narcissa smiled. "Fantastic." She responded. "Don't let me keep you then." She said dismissively.

With that, Hermione turned and left the room, her heart beating loudly at the idea of her pregnancy becoming public knowledge.

***************

"So, Mother told me that you're going shopping with her tomorrow for the Christmas Ball." Draco said as he entered the room.

Hermione sighed. "Yes, it seems so." She said looking up from her catalogs.

"She also said something about teaching you Malfoy manners." He added smirking.

"Lucky me." Hermione responded sarcastically.

Draco came over and looked down at the catalogs. "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, just things for the baby's room." She answered, flipping yet another page of cribs.

"That one looks nice." Draco said sitting down across from her.

"Of course you would say that, there's a dragon carved into the side of it." Hermione said shaking her head. "I like this one." She flipped a few pages back to show a well crafted mahogany crib.

"I suppose that would be nice for little Scorpius." Draco said looking at it.

"Scorpius?" Hermione said, her eyebrow lifting.

"Yes, I thought it had a nice ring to it. Scorpius Malfoy." He answered looking up at her.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "We are _not_ naming our son Scorpius."

Draco crossed his arms. "Why not?"

"It's awful!" She answered. "Besides, were you planning on talking to me about it?" She asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.

"I didn't think you'd have such a problem with it." He grumbled.

"Well, I do have a problem with it and we are not naming him Scorpius." Hermione said crossing her arms as well.

"Did you have a better name in mind?" Draco asked, sarcastically.

"In fact, I quite like the name Henry." She said defensively.

Draco snorted. "Henry? Henry Malfoy? Absolutely not!"

"What's wrong with Henry?" Hermione asked feeling insulted.

"It's a horrid name, that's what's wrong with it!" He said annoyed.

Hermione harrumphed. "It's better than Scorpius!"

"It is not! It's too muggle, that's what it is!" He responded.

"What's wrong with muggle names?" Hermione argued.

"Everything! My son won't have some common muggle name!" Draco said back, his temper rising.

"There's nothing wrong with muggle names!" She yelled back. "In fact, I would rather have a common muggle name than some funny name!"

"Are you saying I have a funny name?" Draco scowled.

"Yes, I am." She challenged.

"Oh, right, because _Hermione_ is a perfectly normal name?!" He spat back.

Hermione turned red. "You are such a jerk, Draco Malfoy!" She said as she stood up and stormed from the room.

Draco watched her go, his face set in a scowl. As soon as the door slammed behind her, the anger dissipated and he took a deep breath.

***********

Hermione walked along Diagon Alley with Narcissa at her side. They had gone into Madam Malkins to get a new set of dress robes and were currently shopping for accessories. She had insisted on red dress robes, in honor of the Christmas spirit of course. Narcissa had tried valiantly to get green dress robes to match Draco but she refused stating that it didn't look good with her complexion. In all honesty, she might be a Malfoy, but she certainly didn't need to look Slytherin.

"Now, it is important to keep your chin up and have the poise and grace of a future Lady Malfoy." Narcissa said. "Remember that your status is elevated and you must act like it."

Hermione looked over at her. "You make it sound like we're so much better than some people." She said offhandedly.

Narcissa looked at the brown haired girl next to her and sniffed. "That's because we _are_ better than _most_ people." She said as they continued walking. "Now, when hosting a ball…"

Hermione rolled her eyes and tuned her out. She was still angry at Draco for the fight they had the day before and last night had certainly been chilly going to bed. She knew that she had overreacted a bit but at least she could blame it on hormones from the pregnancy. What excuse did Draco have? Just being a self centered arse? She snorted at her thoughts.

Narcissa looked over at her. "Did you say something? "

Hermione smiled as best she could. "Oh, no, please continue." She said as Narcissa continued on talking about how to greet the guests correctly and how to order house elves around efficiently.

Hermione sighed as she thought about the previous day again. _Scorpius? Really? He thought I would want to name my son Scorpius?_ She thought incredulously. But she realized that she had gotten mad at him for the same thing she had done, naming their child without talking to him first. _But really, Henry is a much better name._ She rationalized. She sighed again as she thought about how to rectify the situation.

"Is everything ok? Are you feeling well?" Narcissa asked when she heard Hermione sigh for the second time in as many minutes. She wanted to make sure the mother of her grandson was well. She couldn't think of her as a "daughter" or even a "daughter-in-law" but "mother of her grandson" she could accept.

Hermione looked over and nodded. "I'm fine, just getting a little tired." She said hastily. Narcissa nodded and continued to talk about the decorations and the guest list and what important people she would have to meet and talk to.

Hermione let her mind wander again to her and Draco. They had really been getting along better lately. He had been nicer and more caring. He had been looking out for her more, even if it was only because she was in a _delicate_ condition. But she knew he was doing the best he could and she appreciated it, even if she didn't show it. She wouldn't admit it, but he was growing on her. She smiled at the night he fell asleep with his hand on her stomach. Since then, he had fallen asleep that way many times. She would put her hands on top of his and drift off to sleep, somehow feeling a little more secure. She had certainly never seen this side of Draco, but she imagined it was because he was never going to be a father before.

"Hermione? Are you paying attention?" Narcissa said, getting her attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just thinking about…uh…" She looked around quickly and a jewelry shop caught her eye. "…how pretty that necklace would look with my new dress robes." She said as she pointed at the window.

Narcissa looked at her suspiciously but walked over to the jeweler's window. There was a necklace with red and white stones, almost looking like a candy cane, but was in the shape of "V" with a white gold chain.

"That would compliment your robes nicely." Narcissa admitted walking into the store.

Hermione sighed in relief at coming up with a quick excuse. She could only imagine the lecture she would get if Narcissa figured out she hadn't heard a word she had spoken in about half an hour.

**********

Hermione was getting ready for bed when Draco came into the room. He was looking down at the floor as he shuffled in and came up to her side.

"Look, about yesterday…" He started when she cut him off.

"I'm sorry." She burst out. "I didn't mean to get so mad."

Draco let out a breath. "I shouldn't have insulted muggle names." He said quietly, obviously not used to apologizing.

Hermione smiled at him. "I guess we still egg each other on pretty well."

Draco smirked. "I suppose we do."

"We can talk about names a little later on. We have plenty of time." Hermione said, trying to smooth things over. Draco just smiled at her in response.

They finished getting ready for bed and got under the covers. Draco chuckled and Hermione looked at him curiously.

"You know, I was going to buy you something expensive to say that I was sorry." He said with a smirk on his face. "But I thought you would accuse me of trying to buy your forgiveness."

Hermione giggled. "Maybe you have learned a thing or two about me, after all." She said smiling.

"Yea, I would like to think so." He said laying his head down.

Hermione leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and Draco's eyes widened a little.

"Good night, Draco." She said as she settled back down on her side of the bed.

Draco smiled. "Good night, Hermione."

* * *

**A/N: Tada! Another chapter done! I was really impressed by the amount of reviews I got last chapter! Thank you all so much! I hope you all like the speed I'm taking their relationship, because I think it definitely takes time between these two. They're both learning...and of course fighting. :-) Next chapter will be the Christmas Ball (kinda weird writing about Christmas in January!) and then some twists and turns for our couple! So be prepared! Haha. PLEASE keep reviewing! Thank you all again! You're my inspiration! ~Chrissy**


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione stood there, looking into mirror, her long flowing deep scarlet dress robes adorning her petite frame. The robes had an empire waist, which concealed the ever so small bump in her midsection. She smiled as she patted it gently. Her hair was up in curls and small red flowers sprinkled her hair. She picked up the necklace Narcissa had bought in Diagon Alley and unclasped it.

Draco walked into the room, dressed in his black tuxedo dress robes with an emerald green bow tie. His hair perfectly in place but still had a soft and silky look to it. He walked over to Hermione and took the necklace from her. He draped it around her neck and clasped it. He looked at her through the mirror, a small smile on his face.

Hermione looked up at him, and smiled softly. Suddenly, she had a flashback of her wedding day. He looked just as handsome but now he was looking at her completely different than before. On her wedding day, they both looked slightly sick and they dreaded looking at each other. Tonight they looked like they shared a special secret, one that was currently growing within her.

"You look beautiful." Draco said, looking down at her.

Hermione's eyes snapped to his, taken aback by the first sincere compliment he had ever given her, at least, while sober. "Thank you." She answered demurely, not quite sure what else to say.

Draco knew that his compliment surprised her and was inwardly glad to see that his words had that effect on her. Sure, he had thought it for a while, but he wanted to wait for the right moment to say it. And this was certainly the right moment.

"Mother is quite pleased with your decorations, by the way." He said. "Not that she would admit it to you, though."

Hermione smiled. "I wouldn't expect as much." Her smile fumbled for a moment when she thought about tonight's announcement. "Are you ready for the world to know about our baby?"

Draco frowned slightly but nodded. "It had to come out some time."

Hermione took a breath. "I know." She pressed her robes taut against her stomach, showing the small bump there.

Draco's eyes widened slightly, seeing the bump for the first time. Without thinking, he leaned over and touched it gently.

Hermione was touched by the moment and was hesitant to break it. But she gently put her hand over Draco's which seemed to snap him out of it. His eyes snapped to hers only to see her smile. He smiled in return and took his hand back.

"We need to go down and greet the guests." He said helping her to her feet and offering her his arm.

They walked down the stairs and into the grand ballroom. The room was beautifully decorated with red and green drapes, candles floating overhead and a huge Christmas tree in the corner of the room. A stage with an orchestra was to the side.

Everyone turned their head to watch the couple enter. Hermione was holding onto Draco's arm and attempted to keep a smile on her face. Her eyes widened at the amount of people present. There had to be at least a couple of hundred guests. Before she got too far into the room, she spotted a woman with ginger hair rushing towards her. Immediately she knew it was Ginny and she could see Harry running to keep up with her. It amazed her to see Ginny almost sprinting in her gold colored dress robes. Her hair was also up in curls and Harry was in his tuxedo dress robes.

"Hermione!" Ginny said, catching her breath while giving her hug.

"Hey Hermione." Harry said when he caught up. "Malfoy." He acknowledged. Draco inclined his head in response.

"Hello guys!" Hermione said happily.

"This place looks great!" Ginny said looking around. "You know, I never thought I'd have reason to be here."

Hermione nodded and held back from seconding her comment. "Make sure you eat, the food should be fabulous." Hermione said when she felt Draco's arm snake around her waist.

"We should keep greeting guest." He said when she looked up at him. "If you will excuse us." He said as he looked at Harry and Ginny.

"Oh, that's true. I'm supposed to be a hostess." Hermione blushed as she looked at Harry and Ginny.

"Oh, no problem! We'll catch up with you guys later." Harry said.

As they moved away, Draco's arm still tight around Hermione's waist, Harry and Ginny shared a knowing smile

Hermione stiffened up when she saw the group they were approaching: Blaise and Daphne Zabini as well as Adrian and Pansy Pucey. Blaise was dressed in his tuxedo robes with a green robed Daphne on his arm. Adrian, also formally dressed had a grown up Pansy Parkinson on his arm, dressed tastefully in emerald green robes.

Draco felt her stiffen but he wanted to get this particular group out of the way. He tightened his hold on her and gave her a smile and she relaxed slightly.

"Ah, Draco, Hermione, what a lovely party!" Blaise called out as they approached, his eyebrow quirked at how close Draco was holding his wife but chose not to say anything. The remaining three members of the group turned their attention to the newcomers and nodded their heads.

"Thank you. My mother and Hermione did a brilliant job on it." Draco responded smoothly.

"You helped with this?" Pansy asked Hermione incredulously.

"Yes, I took care of all the decorations." Hermione answered politely.

"Oh, Hermione, this is Adrian Pucey, I'm not sure if you remember him but he was a couple years ahead of us. And obviously, you know Pansy." He said motioning towards the couple. "And of course you know Blaise, and this is his wife Daphne."

Daphne scowled but didn't say anything. Adrian nodded his head. "Pleasure." He said politely.

"Well, if you will excuse us, we need to continue greeting guests." Draco said as he turned away from the group.

As they were leaving, they heard Daphne speak up. "I can't believe he chose _that_ over my sister." She said scathingly.

Hermione stiffened and Draco stopped and turned his head sharply. "It would do, Blaise, if you informed your wife how to act in public. She is obviously lacking in social graces." He said coldly as he continued to walk off. Pansy's eyebrows rose at the scene before her.

Hermione turned her head to see Daphne turned red and Blaise with his arm around her trying to calm her down. She smirked at the sight and looked back at her husband whose lips were set in a thin line. She squeezed his arm and the corners of his lips lifted.

They continued to greet the guests and soon they had talked to everyone. They sat down at a table with plates of food and Harry and Ginny quickly joined them.

"How was greeting everyone?" Ginny asked smiling.

"Exhausting." Hermione answered. "I get so tired so quickly these days."

Ginny smiled back. "That is what happens in your condition."

"Oh, right, I never said congratulations, Malfoy." Harry spoke up.

Draco looked at him surprised. "Oh, thanks Potter."

"We're announcing it tonight." Hermione said quietly.

Ginny looked at her. "It'll be okay." She said encouragingly.

"Draco, can I speak with you a moment?" Draco heard from over his shoulder. Pansy was standing behind him.

Draco looked at Hermione quickly and then consented. "Sure. I'll be back shortly." He announced, glad he was able to leave Hermione with her friends.

Pansy and Draco walked out to the balcony her short bob haircut bouncing as she walked.

"What's going on, Pans?" Draco asked as he turned towards her.

"Oh, nothing, just wanted to know how married life was going. We haven't talked in a while." She said offhandedly.

Draco felt a pang of guilt. He had been ignoring her since the wedding. "Sorry about that, things have been busy."

Pansy smiled. "I'm sure. I overheard the joyful news."

Draco smiled. "Well, everyone will know soon enough."

"Are you happy with her?" She asked sincerely.

Draco thought about it for a moment. "I suppose so. It's much better than it used to be now that we're working for a common goal."

Pansy laughed. "Common goal? You make it sound like your child is a project."

Draco shrugged. "How about you and Adrian? You two have been married for over 2 years now."

Pansy's smiled faltered. "Actually, as it turns out, Adrian can't have kids."

Draco looked at her shocked. "Are you sure?"

"We found out a couple of weeks ago. We went in for tests since we had been trying for so long with no results." She said sadly.

"What are you going to do?" Draco asked, concerned for his friend.

"Well, we're actually thinking about divorcing." She answered quietly. Draco's eyebrows rose. "It's a loophole in the marriage law. If you find out after you're married that one of you can't have children, you may divorce them. It's under the same section for termination clauses. There aren't many, pretty much just sterility and domestic violence."

"Oh, I'm sorry Pans. If there's anything I can do..." Draco said sincerely.

"Thanks Draco. It's difficult. I love him. But I really want to be a mother. It's what I was raised for, you know?" She explained. "Anyway, in case we do decide to go that route, I wanted you to hear it from me. But we might not. We might stay together."

Draco nodded, not sure what else to say.

Pansy then smiled at him. "You know, I hate to admit it, but that know-it-all may be good for you after all." She said teasingly. "You're smiling more than I have ever seen before."

Draco smiled at that. "Thanks Pansy."

"We better get in before she thinks I kidnapped you." She said as they walked back into the ballroom. He saw Hermione still with her friends at the table.

"Everything okay?" Hermione asked when he got back.

"Oh, fine. Just catching up, it has been a while." Draco said offhandedly and Hermione smiled.

"Okay then." She responded, her attention going back to Harry and Ginny.

"Attention!" Narcissa's voice floated through the air. Everyone stopped talking and looked over at her. She was standing on the stage in flowing silver robes. "Thank you everyone for coming to the annual Malfoy Christmas Ball. There have been a lot of…changes this year." She said slowly and many people snickered at the implication of her son's wedding to a muggleborn. "But, with all the bad, there's always some good." She smiled perfectly, as if she had been practicing all her life. Hermione held her breath as she knew what the next sentence would be. "I would like to officially announce that Draco and his wife are expecting a baby boy."

The entire room gasped and quickly turned their heads to where Draco and Hermione were sitting. Hermione smiled weakly while Draco just kept his head held high. Harry started to clap and everyone followed suit with murmurs of incredulousness and surprise.

"Please, enjoy yourselves and Happy Christmas!" Narcissa finished gracefully showing her flair for being a hostess.

Everyone then converged on the table to offer their congratulations, real or fake. Hermione saw Daphne storm out of the room with Blaise following right behind her and she saw Pansy give her a small sympathetic smile. Hermione was taken aback by the civility Pansy was showing. She smiled back and inclined her head and Pansy nodded - a truce made within the span of a few seconds.

Hermione could hear Draco taking most of the comments as he would be familiar with most of the people. Ginny shrugged her shoulders and then laughed at the look Hermione shot her.

Draco was overrun by people trying to talk to him but handled them all the way a Malfoy should: gracefully cold. Most people commented on having an heir and with so much time to have another and what a load off his shoulders to have the boy already. Draco nodded as everyone talked to him and shook his hand. He turned around to look at Hermione quickly, and saw her fidget nervously with all the people around. He reached his hand back and took her hand while he continued to talk to everyone else.

Hermione was shocked that he took her hand in front of everyone but could help smiling. She then felt a tap on her shoulder and saw Pansy standing there.

"Pretty overwhelming, huh?" She said quietly.

Hermione nodded. "That's for sure."

"It was like this when Adrian and I got engaged. It seemed like everyone wanted to say something." Pansy added. "Welcome to pureblood society."

Hermione chuckled. "It's quite different than I imagined."

Pansy nodded. "You know, I just wanted to say that we're not at Hogwarts anymore and I've grown up a lot since then." She said sincerely. "If you ever need any help with pureblood society, let me know. I'm probably better than Narcissa anyway." She smirked.

Hermione laughed again. "I'm confident that you would be. Thank you."

Pansy inclined her head towards Hermione and then left. Hermione looked over at Harry who was giving her a puzzled look. She shrugged. "It seems Pansy has matured."

Harry nodded. "Certainly does."

Ginny looked confused. "Well, just to put it out there, I wasn't expecting it from her."

Hermione shrugged again. "Better late than never, I suppose."

Finally the crowd had dispersed and Draco was able to draw his attention back to the people at the table. "What did Pansy want?"

Hermione looked at her husband. "She offered her help with pureblood society."

Draco quirked an eyebrow. "Did she? Well, that's something." He said curiously.

**************

"I am so thankful that's over." Hermione said as she took off her heels and brushed out her hair.

Draco came up behind her. "It was a long night but you did splendidly."

She turned around and faced him, looking up at him. "You think so?"

"I know so." He said brushing a piece of hair out of her face.

She smiled in response as he rested his palm against her cheek. He leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly. He pulled away and smiled down at her. He seemed to think for a minute before speaking again. "Everyone offered their congratulations about our son."

"I heard." She said slightly breathless.

"It makes it a bit more real to have everyone know about him." He said wistfully as if just realizing it.

Hermione smiled. She disengaged herself from him and nodded. She went over to her closet to hang up her robes and went into the bathroom to get into her pajamas. "It was definitely strange having everyone know." She said from behind the bathroom door. She came out to see him already in bed waiting for her. "But it also makes it a bit more exciting."

Draco nodded as she got into bed. "Good night, Hermione."

"Good night, Draco." She said as she rested her head against her pillow.

* * *

**A/N: Holy moly, 200 reviews! You all ROCK! :-) Well, it was quite the ball, huh? I'm kinda glad it's over though, writing about Christmas in February was really quite strange. I'm quite pleased with the progress our couple is making. One step at a time, but I see trouble in their future. Haha. Anyway, thanks for the reviews. PLEASE keep reviewing! It's the only reason I've been updating as quickly as I am! ~Chrissy**


	15. Chapter 15

Hermione clasped her hands over her bulging belly as she sat in a comfy lounge chair in her library. Across from her sat Pansy, smiling a little sadly at the pregnant woman in front of her. Hermione was grateful that Pansy had come into her life, not that Ginny wasn't still her best girl friend, but Pansy understood the world she now lived in. And Pansy helped her along with everything, from learning how to quickly send "thank you" cards after Christmas to how to tip the salespeople that helped her while shopping. Yes, Pansy had definitely made the last couple of months easier.

"How are you feeling?" Pansy asked the now obviously pregnant woman in front of. It saddened her to see something she couldn't have. Certainly, she hadn't been raised to be denied anything. But this was something out of her control, something that obviously couldn't be bought. She was slightly jealous of the witch in front of her, not that she would ever admit it. But she made Draco happy and a father, two things she wanted for her childhood flame.

"Good. A little bloated, but good." Hermione smiled. "I'm not going to be able to see my feet in a little while." She quipped.

Pansy giggled. "Yes, you are 5 months pregnant now, that will happen." She said wistfully.

Hermione sighed. "Any luck with the fertility treatments?"

Pansy shook her head. "No. He hasn't been responding to any of it." She said sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hermione said quietly.

Pansy shrugged her shoulders. "I just don't know what to do. There's nothing more in the world that I want other than to be a mother. But at the same time, I really do love Adrian. I really feel torn."

Hermione looked at the suffering girl across from her. She purposely didn't ask her for any help with baby things, though Pansy always graciously offered. "Have you thought about adoption?"

Pansy's head snapped up at that. She seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Pureblood families don't adopt, Hermione. Their _blood_ is just too important to them."

"Is it that important to _you_?" Hermione asked the raven haired girl across from her.

"I suppose it has to be." Pansy said dejectedly.

Hermione sighed. "Well, if there's anything I can do, anything at all, please let me know."

Pansy smiled at her once sworn enemy. It amazed her that they could go from hating each other in school to sitting across from each other offering help and guidance. She figured if Draco could get over those preconceived notions enough to marry a muggleborn, who would think twice of her befriending one. Pansy didn't have a lot of friends these days, the War made sure of that. "Thanks Hermione. I know you would help if you could."

Hermione smiled back. "Yes, I would."

Pansy smiled wider and decided to change the subject. "I was talking to Millicent the other day and she seemed frustrated in her marriage."

Hermione could help smirking when she heard that. "Yea? Trouble in Weasley paradise?" She asked sarcastically.

Pansy chuckled. "I don't think there ever wasn't trouble." She answered.

"Apparently they go to the Burrow every week for Sunday night dinner and she absolutely hates the family and hates going." Pansy relayed.

Hermione crinkled her forehead. "I used to love Sunday night dinners. His family is wonderful." She defended the family who always treated her as one of their own.

"Oh, I bet they are." Pansy added quickly. "But, they don't quite live at Millicent's standards."

"Oh, I see." Hermione said, realizing the difference between a rich pureblooded family and a not so rich pureblood family. "But his family is very tight knit."

"Yes, much to her chagrin." Pansy said ruefully.

"I feel worse for his family having to put up with her than I do with Ron having to put up with her." Hermione said, giggling.

Pansy chuckled again. "Oh, I don't know how Weasley can live with her. But apparently, her parents give them a stipend every month so that they can live up to her previous standards."

Hermione nodded. "Yea, the joke shop is successful but not _that_ successful. Ron took over Fred's spot after the War."

Pansy nodded. "Yes, I heard about that." Pansy stood up and stretched. "Well, I really should be going."

Draco then walked into room. "Hello ladies." He said as he walked to his wife and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello." Hermione said with a smile.

"Hello Draco." Pansy said, smiling at him. "I was just telling Hermione that I need to be going."

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay for dinner?" Draco asked.

"No, it's quite alright. Adrian will be home soon and I need to tell the house elves what to make for dinner." She said politely. "It was a pleasure as always, Hermione."

Hermione smiled. "You're welcome here any time." She said sincerely.

Pansy smiled back. "Thanks." She walked over to the fire place and floo'd home.

"You two are getting along quite well." Draco acknowledged.

"Yes, she has been a tremendous help. I'm really glad we were able to look past school grudges." Hermione answered. "But I do feel awful about the situation that she's in."

Draco nodded. "Yes, it's really a tough spot to be in. Pureblood families are all about children. It's why I insisted on children at the beginning." He explained.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I know. But I'm really growing to like her and it's awful to see her so torn about it."

Draco nodded and after a moment changed the subject. "Hey, so I was thinking about going to dinner tonight, what do you think?"

Hermione smiled. "I would like that."

*************

Draco and Hermione were sitting at a table in a café on Diagon Alley. It happened to be right next to George and Ron's joke shop. Hermione had felt uncomfortable about being so close to the store but when she made into the café without seeing a single red head, she relaxed.

The atmosphere was nice and she wondered why she hadn't been here before. It wasn't too crowded and it wasn't too fancy like the restaurants she knew Draco preferred. He had mentioned being more casual tonight so she wore a loose fitting shirt to accommodate her stomach. She had noticed more than a few stares since it was the first time they had gone out with her being noticeably pregnant.

"I like this place." Hermione said as she looked around at the décor.

"I thought you would." Draco said smiling.

Hermione smiled back, touched by how much Draco was trying to accommodate her preferences. In the beginning it had been all about how he was used to doing things. Now it was more about things he knew she liked.

She ordered a chicken salad and Draco got veal parmesan and they chatted about her pregnancy and what other books she had read on the subject.

"How is work going?" Hermione asked casually.

"It's alright. I have another big case going to trial next week. Did you get my file on the Centaur case?" Draco asked taking a sip of water.

"Yes, it's next on my to-do list." She answered. "I need to finish up something for the Auror department first."

"Will it be strange not being at work anymore?" Draco asked curiously.

Hermione looked at him strangely. "Well, I don't go out for maternity leave for another couple of months. And I'm only out for 6 months."

Draco's eyes snapped up. "Wait, you plan to go back to work?" He asked confused.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Hermione asked defensively.

"Well, don't you want to stay home with our child?" He asked a little harshly.

Hermione looked at him for a moment confused. "Can't we get a nanny or something? We certainly have the money."

Draco could feel his temper rising. "No Malfoy has ever been brought up by a nanny. You should be the one to stay home and care for him."

"You said that I could continue working." She said annoyed.

"That was before you had children!" Draco snapped.

"You never specified that!" Hermione shot back.

"Neither did you!" Draco argued.

Hermione could feel anger starting to pulse through her veins. "I'm going back to work. My career is important."

"More important than your family?" Draco accused her.

"Of course not! But you can't force me to quit! I think he'll be fine with two working parents!" Hermione yelled.

Draco looked at her incredulously. "I can't believe you would put your career over your family!"

"I'm not! And if it's so important, why don't _you_ stay home to care for him!" She yelled back.

Draco looked at her as if she had grown two heads. "You are his _mother_. It is you _duty_ to your family to stay home and raise him!"

Hermione stood up from her chair. "You can't make me, Draco. I am not some pureblood housewife and I never will be." She said vehemently. She then turned on her heel and stalked out of the restaurant.

She was so angry she didn't care who she was pushing out of her way. _How dare he assume that I was just going to be some subservient housewife who would put my entire career on hold once we had children._ She thought as she walked past all the tables. _I am not some pureblood wife who was raised to sit at home and be good for nothing but breeding._

Hermione exited the restaurant lost in her thoughts, anger coursing through her. She didn't even notice that she was in the middle of the road when someone called out to her.

"Mrs. Malfoy." Someone said sarcastically. Hermione looked up from her thoughts to see Astoria standing in front of her.

Astoria's face was twisted into a look of anger and when her eyes trailed down to the bump in Hermione's midsection her eyes took a look of fury upon them.

"Looks like my sister was telling the truth. You are pregnant with a disgusting half blood not worthy of the Malfoy name." She snarled at her.

"I don't have time for you, Greengrass." Hermione said, turning her nose up at her.

"Well, I wasn't planning on talking to you either, mudblood. You ruined my life!" Astoria spat. Suddenly, Astoria reached for her wand and pointed it at Hermione. "Crucio!" She yelled.

Hermione was completely unprepared for the attack. As soon as she saw Astoria raise her wand, she went to get her wand from her pocket but was slowed down because of her belly. Before she knew it she was on the floor screaming in pain, for the second time in her life.

Draco had watched Hermione leave the restaurant in a huff and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He had thrown money on the table when he heard Hermione screaming. He ran out of the restaurant as fast as he could to see Astoria giggling in glee and Hermione writing in pain.

"Stop it!" He screamed as he saw a flash of red hair tackle Astoria. He saw Ron Weasley on top of Astoria's struggling body and someone else had taken her wand.

Draco then ran over to Hermione who laid still on the road. "Hermione! Hermione, wake up!" He said as he got to her and saw her unconscious.

"Looks like I got her good!" Astoria called out happily.

"Shut _up_!" Draco screamed as he gathered Hermione into his arms. Her eyes were still closed as he held her. "Someone call the Aurors!" He yelled to the crowd that had gathered. He saw several patronuses sent and soon he saw Harry Potter running towards the scene. He stood up holding his wife, concern etched all over his face.

Harry ran up to Draco immediately. "What happened?" He asked as he saw an unconscious Hermione in Draco's arms.

"That despicable witch over there crucio'd her." He flicked his head towards the witch who was smiling widely underneath Ron.

"I got her, mate!" Ron yelled to his former best friend. He had heard Hermione scream and he knew he had to do something. As soon as he saw Astoria, fury pushed him to tackle the witch.

Harry looked over to Ron and he nodded. "Thanks, Ron." He said, those being the first words he had spoken to him in months.

"I need to get her to St. Mungo's." Draco said and Harry nodded.

"I'll take care of everything here. I'll send Ginny right away and I'll be over as soon as I can." Harry said looking at Draco. "I'll send a patronus to let St. Mungo's know that you're coming."

Draco nodded. "Alright. Thanks Potter. "

Draco walked a few feet away from the crowed and apparated to the hospital. "Stay with me, love." He whispered to his unconscious wife.

As soon as he showed up in the lobby, two healers in dark blue robes rushed to him and took her from his arms. "We'll do everything we can, Mr. Malfoy." One of the healers told him as the other rushed off with his wife.

"Can I go with her?" He asked, his eyes following the healer with his wife.

"I'm afraid not, but you can wait in the waiting room and we'll keep you up to date with everything." The healer said motioning to an empty room full of chairs.

Draco put his hand through his pale blond hair and let out a deep breath. "Okay, but as soon as I can I would like to see her."

The healer nodded sympathetically. "Of course, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco walked over to the waiting room and sat heavily into one of the chairs. He put his head into his hands and sighed.

"Draco, are you ok?" Draco heard from the door of the waiting room. He looked up to see Ginny standing there.

"We were fighting before it all happened." Was all he could say before closing his eyes.

Ginny went over and sat down next to him. Hesitantly, she reached out and patted his knee. "I'm sure she'll pull through." She reassured him.

"Draco, dear, we came as soon as we heard!" Came another voice from the doorway.

Draco saw his parents standing there, a look of concern on his mother's face and a look of indifference on his father's face.

"Is the baby ok?" Narcissa asked, caring more about the baby than Hermione.

"I don't know, Mother." He answered honestly. "I don't actually know anything right now."

Narcissa and Lucius then noticed the ginger haired girl next to him and chose to sit on the far end of the room.

Ginny looked over at Draco, his forehead wrinkled and concern written all over his face.

Draco just stared out into nothing, praying to whoever may be listening that his wife and son would be okay.

* * *

**A/N: Well, you guys were wondering what Astoria was up to, so here she is. I have to admit, this was a bit of a tough chapter to write. But anyway, thank you as always for all your reviews! They really so wonderful to read and an endless source of motivation. It really makes me want to write as fast as I can. :-) So, please keep reviewing! The next few chapters are going to be interesting, I promise! ~Christina**


	16. Chapter 16

A short pudgy man with square glasses dressed in dark blue healer robes entered the waiting room and looked around at the scene before him. On the right side of the room was an older couple, the woman with long flowing platinum blond hair was talking to her husband quietly. The man, with shoulder length gray hair was staring straight ahead, his face in a thoughtful look. When he looked to the left side of the room he saw a red headed girl who was fiddling with her hands and a pale blond boy, who he assumed was the son of the older couple, with his head in his hands, obviously distressed. That was the wizard he was looking for.

"Ahem, Draco Malfoy?" The healer said as he walked towards Draco.

Draco's head snapped up, looking at the healer from his seat. "Yes?"

"I am Healer Williams. I am in charge of the care of your wife." He said politely. Draco nodded for him to go on. "Your wife is doing well." Draco exhaled audibly at that. "We revived her shortly after she got here. However, the cruciatus curse forced a premature labor. Being that she was only 22 weeks along, the baby was just too small to save." He said gravely.

Draco's eyes went unfocused. He felt his head drop at the news. He could feel the tears pricking the corner of his eyes. It was the pat on the knee by Ginny that snapped him out of it. He would not fall apart in front of everyone. "May I see her?" He asked quietly.

Healer Williams nodded. "Yes, of course. However, we need a name for your son."

"A name?" Draco asked confused.

"Yes, a name, for the birth and death certificates." The healer said sympathetically.

Draco swallowed thickly. He looked back up at the healer and licked his dry lips. He said the first name that came into his head. "Henry." He whispered. "His name was Henry Malfoy." He then said clearly.

The healer looked at him and nodded his head. "Very well, you may come with me now."

Draco stood up and looked at everyone gathered in the room. Ginny looked heartbroken and his mother had a stoic look upon her face but he could see the disappointment in her eyes. His father had the same indifferent look on his face as he did before.

Draco followed the healer down the white corridor until they stopped in front of a door. The name "Malfoy, Hermione" was next to the door frame with a clip board of notes underneath it. The healer opened the door and let Draco step through. "I'll be by in a little bit." He said softly as Draco walked over to the bed.

Hermione was sitting up and staring off into space. Her eyes were red and her face puffy. He had a flash back to the day they found out she was pregnant. It seemed things had gone full circle. He saw a chair next to the bed and sat down on it. He put his hand on top of hers and squeezed it gently.

"We lost him." She whispered. "He didn't even have a chance."

Draco nodded. "The healer told me."

"As soon as I woke up, my body was racked in pain. I could feel him struggling to get out. They tried to deliver him, I even saw him briefly. He was so small, Draco, so small." She said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Draco's heart wrenched at the visual he was getting: Hermione screaming, the baby being born, seeing their boy for only a moment.

"He was beautiful." She said softly a small smile pulling at her lips.

"They asked me to name him." Draco said, after a moment.

Hermione looked at him but didn't say anything.

"I named him Henry." Draco said softly.

Hermione squeezed his hand. "Thank you." She said quietly as another silent tear fell. "Henry."

Draco leaned forward and placed a kiss on Hermione's forehead.

The door opened as Ginny and his parents came through. Ginny ran over to Hermione, enveloping her into a big hug. "I'm so sorry." She whispered into her hair.

Narcissa and Lucius stood there looking at the scene before them. Ginny was hugging Hermione and Draco was holding on to his wife as if he was her lifeline.

Narcissa walked over and Ginny let go. She looked down at Hermione and inclined her head. "I am sorry for your loss." She said sincerely.

Hermione looked at her mother-in-law with a look of shock. She nodded her head back and Narcissa continued. "We will have anything you need or doctors that you require back at the Manor for your return."

Narcissa then took a step back and addressed Draco. "Look after your wife. We will back to visit tomorrow."

Draco nodded his head. "Thank you Mother." He said sincerely, surprised at the little bit of compassion his mother was showing.

Healer Williams then came back into the room. "Ah, Mrs. Malfoy, I'm glad to see you sitting up." He said coming over to the bed. "We are going to need to keep you for another day or two. There are some tests we would like to run because of the circumstances." He said as he took her vitals. "If you need anything, please feel free to call." He said pointing at a button to the right of her bed.

Hermione nodded and the healer left the room briskly. Draco's parents then turned and left the room without another word.

"How are you feeling?" Ginny asked, taking Hermione's other hand.

"Like I've been crucio'd." Hermione answered with a weak smile.

"I'm going to get that witch." Draco said under his breath.

"What was that?" Hermione asked, turning her head towards Draco.

"Oh, nothing for you to worry about." He said giving her a half hearted smile.

A knock on the door got everyone's attention. The door opened and Harry entered the room. He swiftly came over to Hermione's side and looked her over with concerned eyes.

"How are you?" Harry asked tentatively, noticing the lack of a baby bump.

"I'm alright." Hermione answered. "Henry, however, didn't make it." Hermione's eyes welled up in tears thinking that might be the only time she ever referred to her baby by his name.

Harry's face fell at the news. "I'm so sorry, Hermione." He said quietly. He looked at the disheveled man next to him and put his hand on his shoulder. Draco's head jerked up from the touch and looked up at Harry. "I'm sorry for you, too."

Draco nodded slowly. "Thanks Potter."

"So, Hermione, did anyone tell you what happened after Astoria crucio'd you?" Harry asked quietly.

Hermione looked up and shook her head. "I don't really remember much other than feeling that awful pain. I think I passed out before she stopped."

"Well, you were right in front of the joke shop. Ron actually ran out and tackled Astoria. He saved you." Harry said, looking at her intently, wondering how she would take this new information.

Hermione's eyes widened at the news. "He, he saved me?" She asked surprised.

"Yes. I ran out of the café and I saw him take her down." Draco said, adding to the story.

"And, actually, he's waiting outside the door. He would like to see you." Harry said, motioning towards the door.

Draco's eyes widened this time. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?" He asked.

Hermione looked at him. "Let him in. I think after everything, he deserves that much."

Harry nodded and went to the door. Ron walked in slowly, taking in everyone in the room. "Hello, 'Mione." He said, using his nickname for her.

"Hello, Ron. It seems I owe you a thank you." She said as he walked closer to the bed.

Ron smiled. "I'm glad I could help." He said and then hesitated for a moment. "Look, I'm really sorry for everything. I really am."

Hermione nodded her head. "Apology accepted. But I think that may be all I can give you for now."

Ron nodded slowly. "I'll take it."

Just then, another knock was heard at the door and Pansy rushed in. "Hermione! Oh Hermione!"

Ron's eyes widened at the visitor, unaware of the friendship that had grown between them.

Pansy ran to the side of the bed and hugged her. "Are you ok? And the baby…" She trailed off.

Draco put his hand on Pansy's arm. "Hermione's going through a few more tests but I'm afraid we lost Henry."

Pansy's eyes flew to Hermione. "I'm so sorry!"

Hermione nodded. "I am, too." She looked around at her room full of friends and swallowed the lump that was in her throat.

Draco stood up and sat on her bed, putting his arm around her. She leaned against his shoulder and sighed loudly.

Harry looked at the couple in front of him and his heart reached out to them. He couldn't imagine the amount of pain they were going through. He wished he could just take it all away.

* * *

Lucius walked down a corridor of St. Mungo's looking closely at every name plate he passed. Finally he reached on that said "Flogart Williams, Senior Healer." He promptly knocked on the door and he heard a voice beckon him in. He walked in to see the pudgy man sitting behind a desk. His dark blue robes hung up behind him leaving him in a white button down shirt and black slacks.

Healer Williams looked up to see the man that was in the waiting room with his son. His eyebrows raised in surprise but inclined his head anyway. "Good evening, sir. How may I help you?"

Lucius walked over to his desk and stood in front of him, gazing at the man for a moment. "I am Lucius Malfoy. My son's wife is in your care." He said in a stately voice.

Healer Williams nodded. "That is correct. I am taking care of Hermione Malfoy."

Lucius eyed him carefully before he continued. "Is she going to be able to conceive again?"

Healer Williams grabbed a folder from his desk and looked at it. "Of course, Mr. Malfoy…"

"Lord Malfoy." Lucius interrupted.

"Right then, Lord Malfoy. You have nothing to worry about your son getting an heir." Healer William said, knowing that all pureblood families always had the same concern. "Luckily, the cruciatus curse does not actually do any physical harm. The stress of the pain is what caused the premature labor. She did have a few complications during delivery but nothing that shouldn't be able to heal after a little time." He explained, hoping to alleviate any fears.

Lucius stood there for a moment. "I see." He said slowly, obviously deep in thought. "Tell me, how much would it take for you to tell them that the complications made her unable to have children?" He said looking the healer in the eye.

"Excuse me?" Healer Williams' eyes went wide. "I'm sorry sir, but I don't understand…"

He was cut off by the sound of a heavy bag being thrown onto his desk. His eyes went down to the bulging purse in front of him.

"That right there is 500,000 galleons. If you tell my son and his wife what I have asked, another 500,000 galleons will make its way to you." Lucius said smoothly.

Healer Williams swallowed thickly. One million galleons, he had never seen that much money before. He'd be able to provide for his family for the rest of his life. He could finally give his wife the vacation she always wanted. He stared at the purse in front of him.

"Go on, look in it. I assure you it's real." Lucius said, a gleam in his eye, knowing that this was easy prey.

Healer Williams took the purse and opened it, his eyes widening at the sight of all the galleons. He picked on up and it was indeed real.

"But she will be able to have children." The healer said.

"Yes, but hopefully she won't realize that until it's far too late. So do we have ourselves a deal?" Lucius looked at him almost hungrily, knowing he would agree.

The healer nodded his head and put the purse into his desk drawer. "I'll inform them tomorrow." He said quickly.

"Very good. I'll be by tomorrow with the rest of the money after you finish your task." He said as a smirk graced his face and he swept out of the room, his robes billowing behind him.

Healer Williams took a deep breath and thought about what he just agreed to. Guilt was already starting to play on his conscience but surely Lord Malfoy had a good reason for it. He wouldn't intentionally hurt his son's wife, right? He rationalized the guilt away and looked at the money in front of him. Surely he could do good things with the money as well. He would quit his job shortly after this and move to America. He could start over.

*******************

Draco was holding Hermione's hand as he had been all of the night before. He had slept in the chair next to the bed and insisted to everyone to go home and get some sleep. The healer had said that if everything checked out okay, she would be able to go home today. He looked around the room and most everyone had come back in hopes that she would be released. Harry and Ginny were talking to themselves on the other side of the bed and Pansy was sitting next to him. His parents were on the far side of the room, both looking thoughtful.

He looked at Hermione who seemed to be doing a little better today than yesterday. He felt like if he focused on her, he wouldn't think about the son he just lost. It was too much and too soon for him to really comprehend everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

The healer finally came in and looked around at the crowded room. Hermione looked over at him as he came by her bedside. "Well, Mrs. Malfoy, I have some news for you." He said as he shot a quick look at Lucius. Lucius inclined his head a small amount and the healer continued. "Would you like me to talk to you and your husband privately?"

Hermione looked around the room at her friends and shook her head. "I'm sure whatever you say, I will tell them anyway." She answered.

"Very well." Healer Williams went on, slightly nervous. "Well, you see, the cruciatus curse made you go into premature labor, as you're well aware. However, there were some complications during delivery that has unfortunately caused a large build up of scar tissue in your fallopian tubes. Due to this, I'm afraid you will not be able to have any more children." He said gravely with a slight shake in his voice.

Everyone in the room gasped and Hermione's eyes went wide. She felt Draco squeeze her hand tight and when she looked at him she could see the disappointment in his eyes. "I see." Hermione answered. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I'm afraid not, Mrs. Malfoy." The healer answered her.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears as she nodded her head. "I understand." She said quietly as the tears started to fall.

"I have signed your release papers. You may leave whenever you wish." He said in the most sympathetic voice he could find. "I'm sorry, Mrs .Malfoy." He said as he left the room.

While the room was in a stunned silence no one noticed Lucius follow the healer out the door.

* * *

**A/N: Another very tough chapter to write. It really was hard to decide whether or not she'd keep the baby but as you see, it's essential to the plot. I'm sorry to all the people who was hoping to see him pull through. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing! PLEASE keep it going. I really appreciate it! The encouraging words really go a long way. ~Chrissy**


	17. Chapter 17

Harry looked at his best friend from across the table and couldn't help but think she looked ragged. There were bags under her eyes and her hair was less kept than normal. His heart broke for her, knowing that she was being kept up at night tossing and turning.

"So, how are you doing?" Harry asked looking over her saddened features.

"I'm not really sure." Hermione answered looking down at the table. "It's been a month since...the incident...and it has been really difficult."

Harry nodded. "I know it has, but you're getting through it." He said encouragingly.

Hermione just looked at him impassively and stayed silent.

Harry then attempted to give her some good news. "Greengrass went in front of the Wizengamot yesterday. They have charged her with murder and the use of an unforgivable curse. She will going to Azkaban on Monday."

Hermione nodded. "She deserves it." She said with conviction.

"That she most certainly does." Harry agreed. He paused for a moment before asking the next question. "How're things with Malfoy?"

"Things with Draco have been very different." She sighed. "It's hard for me to look at him without thinking of Henry. And I'm sure it's the same for him."

"I'm sure it has been hard for him as well. But you two need to work through it together." Harry said, putting a hand over hers.

"That's the thing, Harry. It's like neither one of us knows what to do. When I was pregnant, we had a common goal, something to work towards. Now that we don't have that commonality, it's like we don't know how to act around each other so we just don't really interact that much anymore." She said sadly.

Harry looked at her sympathetically. He couldn't imagine what she was going through. She lost her baby, her ability to have children and he wasn't sure if her marriage was strong enough to take it. Sure, he knew that they cared for each other, more than he would have thought imaginable only a few months ago. He truly hoped they would make it through, but he didn't know how realistic that was.

"I know how much my inability to have children is affecting him." She whispered sadly. She had seen him mope around the house with his eyes downcast. She was almost certain she was keeping him up at night and when she couldn't sleep she could swear she heard sniffling from his side of the bed. She knew that he was putting up a strong front but was crumbling inside like she was. And once, she accidentally caught him gazing at the beginnings of the nursery across the hall. The next day, the room was empty.

Harry nodded. "It's affecting you, too."

"I know. It's just really not fair, Harry." Hermione sighed and put her head into her hands.

Harry took his chair and moved around the table to sit next to her. He put his arm around her and held her tightly. He asked her the question he knew was on her mind. "Do you think he'll divorce you?"

Hermione looked up and tears welled in her eyes. "I don't know." She answered honestly.

"Do you want him to?" He asked cautiously.

"I don't know." She whispered. "For the first time in my life, I honestly don't know the answer." And it was true. She had always known the answer before or if she didn't, she was always confident that she could find it. But now, she felt more lost than ever before.

Harry squeezed her tightly and she rested her head against his shoulder. "Do you love him?"

Hermione sniffed. "I think I did."

"And you don't anymore?" Harry asked.

"Everything has changed." She answered solemnly.

Harry thought about that for a moment. "Love doesn't go away, though."

Hermione sniffed again. "No...but it changes." She answered.

Harry sighed. "I'll be here for you, no matter what you decide."

******************

Draco walked into his parents library and saw them sitting and waiting for him. He knew he looked awful but he didn't really care. His hair with disheveled and all the tossing and turning Hermione did had kept him up at nights as well. How could he sleep when she was there crying in her sleep?

"Father, Mother." He said tiredly as he went over to the chair across from them. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, son." Lucius answered. Narcissa didn't say anything; she just looked at him and inclined her head. Lucius looked better than he had in a while but Draco couldn't pin point why. Narcissa looked beautiful as normal but her eyes looked saddened.

"We are aware that your wife in unable conceive again." Lucius said, getting straight to the point. "That makes her no longer suitable to be your wife. We feel that we have waited an appropriate amount of time and that we need to start considering the future."

Draco's eyes hardened. "I believe that is my choice." He countered.

Lucius smirked. He had expected his son to defend his wife. He had seen them grow fonder of each other and it made him sick to his stomach. As his father, he couldn't let his only son waste his life away on a mudblood. He looked at Draco for a moment before giving his reason to end this marriage. "You will not be able to have an heir, Draco. You will end the family line if you remain with her. Do you really believe you still have a choice?"

Draco looked away. He had been thinking about the same things. But he couldn't leave her just because of this. "Father, as you are aware, it was my crazy ex-fiancée that did this to her. I cannot leave her when this is something that is a great deal my fault."

Lucius laughed. "Draco, it doesn't matter _how_ she came to be like this. It doesn't change the fact that she is now sterile. You need to divorce her and find a new wife that can bear you heirs. It's not a matter of your wants anymore. You cannot choose to extinguish the Malfoy line because of her!"

Draco looked at his mother and he saw her look down quickly as he met her eyes. "Mother?" He inquired, wanting to know where she stood.

"You need to do what is best for our family." She said robotically, devoid of emotion. He had the feeling that she didn't want to see Hermione go but knew that his options have been severely limited.

Lucius smirked at his wife's answer. He knew she was starting to go soft when it came to the bloody mudblood. He knew he had to do something soon if his plan was to work.

"You need to find a new wife, Draco." Lucius restated bluntly. "And you need to do it as soon as possible."

"Well, what if we can find a way to undo the damage?" Draco asked, thinking more to himself than anything else. He had also been looking into ways to fix the scarring. Maybe there was surgery or potions or even magic that could fix this.

"There is no way." Lucius snapped quickly before calming down. Draco looked at his father curiously. "She cannot be helped. You need to leave her and find a new wife." He reiterated strongly. He took out a small stack of papers and handed them to Draco. "Dissolution of Marriage on grounds of sterility" the top of the page said. "I took the liberty to have these drawn up. All you need is both of your signatures on the last page."

Draco felt his stomach drop at the sight of the papers. "I'll think about it." Draco responded, knowing there was nothing else he could say.

Lucius knew the quicker she was out of his hair, the better. He knew that his plan could be undone if she stayed too long. Therefore, he decided to change his tactic. "Don't take too long. It'll be for the best if you get it over with and get it done quickly, the girl won't suffer as much."

Draco looked at his father strangely. Since when did he care about how much Hermione suffered? Draco nodded and left the room quickly. Why was he trying to push him to get remarried so quickly? He was still fairly young; he had plenty of time to have children. Draco shook his head. He rationalized it must be because his father never liked her to begin with, but for some reason the idea that something else was wrong was nagging at the back of his mind.

**********

Pansy was sitting across from Hermione and looking at the sad girl in front of her. She truly had felt for her in the last couple of weeks. It so closely mirrored her own problems that she couldn't help but sympathize. However, Hermione's problems seemed to bring a solution to her own. She fidgeted nervously not sure how to bring up what she had on her mind.

"So, how are things?" Pansy asked tentatively.

Hermione sighed. "I don't know, Pansy. I don't know what to do or how to feel."

Pansy nodded. "I know what you're going through. Its okay to feel however it is you're feeling. Just know that no matter what, I'll be here for you."

Hermione gave her a weak smile. "Thanks Pans."

Pansy shifted in her seat uncomfortably before continuing. "Do you remember telling me that if there was anything you could do to help me, you would?"

Hermione looked at the girl in front of her. She noticed for the first time that she was incredibly nervous. The normally confident girl was constantly fidgeting and moving. "What's on your mind, Pansy?"

"I'm not sure how to ask this of you, but I feel like it's my only option." She said, not able to look Hermione in the eye.

Hermione looked at her confused. "Well, just ask then."

Pansy took a deep breath. "I know you're aware that most purebloods were raised with the sole purpose of creating an heir and keeping up their family name, myself included." She started hesitantly. "I love my husband, I do, but I truly want to be a mother and there's only one other person in this entire world I would ever consider marrying and having a baby with."

Hermione was confused at what she was implying but only for a moment. Her eyes widened when she realized what Pansy was suggesting. "Draco." She whispered.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Hermione! I know this must really sound awful. But I've been thinking about it a lot these last couple of weeks." Pansy looked up at Hermione seeing the hurt on her face. "Of course I would never do such a thing without your blessing. If you tell me 'no', I won't bring it up again. But please understand, I had to put it out there."

Hermione sat there letting it sink in. She had promised Pansy that she would help in any way she could. She knew that Draco wanted a son more than anything in the world. _But you must be willing to have children._ The words from their agreement echoed in her mind; the same agreement that she could no longer fulfill. She looked at Pansy then, seeing the hope in her eyes and she found herself not able to completely rule out the option. She felt her heart drop. She remembered Harry's question: did she love Draco? And more than anything else, did she love Draco enough to leave him?

Hermione took a shuddering breath but found an answer. "Let me think about it, okay Pans?"

Pansy nodded enthusiastically. "Take as long as you need, Hermione. I appreciate you even considering it."

Hermione nodded. "I know his parents have been putting pressure on him to leave me." She confided. "He hasn't said anything but I know. I can tell."

Pansy sighed. "I won't lie to you, Hermione. His father has approached me already about the idea of marrying Draco."

Hermione could feel the tears pricking the corners of her eyes. "I can't say I'm surprised."

"If it's anything to you, I think Draco is really reluctant to leave you. I think he feels somewhat responsible for what happened." She said.

Hermione's looked at Pansy with a surprised look. "Responsible?"

Pansy nodded. "He feels like since it was his ex-fiancée that did it, he's partially responsible. And he had also mentioned something about an argument."

Hermione sighed. "It's not his fault."

"I know that, but I think maybe you need to talk to him and tell him that yourself." Pansy suggested.

Hermione nodded. "Perhaps you're right. And I'll think about what you said, I really will."

"I know, at the very least, you care for Draco." Pansy said sympathetically. "I also know that you know I would take care of him and I could give him a son. I would want you to stay in our lives."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know if I could, though."

"I understand. Well, think about it. I won't be angry with whatever you choose. I will still be your friend." Pansy said, standing up, "I'll go now, but I'll see you soon." She said as she floo'd away.

Hermione sat there, staring at the wall. His words entering her mind: _If you will be my wife, I will need a son to carry my name._ He was so insistent on children before they got married. And she remembered the way his eyes lit up when they found out that they were having a boy. Could she ask him to stay in a marriage that would effectively end his family line?

She put her head in her hands and shook her head. Why her? Why did this happen to her? Her thoughts went to her husband again. Did he even need her? Did he even love her? Could she deny the chance of motherhood to a friend who has been there for her the past few months? She sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you go. Another chapter. I think, conceptually, this chapter was harder to write then the last two. The last two chapters I knew exactly what I wanted to happen. From here on out, I have an idea of what's going to happen, it's just a little harder to get it down on paper. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. And, as always, THANK YOU for all the reviews! I'm glad so many people like my story. PLEASE keep reviewing! It's really so rewarding! ~Chrissy**


	18. Chapter 18

Hermione was sitting her library, staring at the fire. It had only been a few days since her conversation with Pansy and she was still trying to figure out how to talk to Draco. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't rationalize staying in this marriage. By leaving, she would be able to give happiness to two people she cared about. How could she selfishly deny them that?

She sighed as she continued to watch the fire flicker and flames lick the logs that were in there. She really had gotten used to it here, though there were a lot of memories now that would be easier if she forgot. She wondered how she came to love the man that is her husband and how she would be able to convince him that it was for the best that they part.

She absentmindedly played with a lock of hair, twirling it around her finger. She had already lost all her baby weight and you would have never known she was ever pregnant. She put her hand on her stomach, missing the feeling of a life within her. Tears started to blur her vision as she thought of the little boy she lost.

A loud crack snapped her out of her reverie and she looked down to see Bixby standing there. "Miss, Lord wants to see Miss in Lord's study."

Hermione's eyebrows knitted together. "Whatever for?"

"Bixby not know, Miss." Bixby answered quickly.

Hermione nodded. "Thank you, Bixby."

"Miss is welcome." Bixby smiled and apparated away.

Hermione walked down the hallway slowly, uncomfortable being on this side of the house alone. The only times she had ever dared come into this wing was with Draco. For what reason could he want to talk to her? For what reason could he want to talk to her without Draco? She knocked on the door and heard Lucius bid her to come in.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked, looking around at the study. It was very dark save a couple of lamps that were on. The curtains were drawn and the furniture was either dark brown or black. There was a fire in the fireplace giving the room heat but other than that, it seemed very foreboding. Lucius was seated behind his desk, obviously expecting her.

"Yes, please, sit down." Lucius said graciously motioning towards a black leather chair in front of the desk.

Hermione cautiously took a seat, wary of the man in front of her. He had never said the word 'please' to her before and that made her even more uncomfortable than she was before. She watched him for a moment before he continued.

"Hermione..." He started and automatically she was on guard. Never in her whole time of living here did he ever address her by her first name. "...I am sure you are aware of the situation we all find ourselves in now that we know you cannot have any more children."

Hermione nodded, starting to understand why he brought her here.

"You see, I am aware that my son is somewhat reluctant to leave you but you must know that extinguishing the Malfoy line is an unacceptable option." He continued.

Hermione said nothing but continued to look at him. She knew that he was having a hard time with the idea of leaving her but she didn't think he would really consider ending the Malfoy name just because of her.

"Therefore, I am offering you a deal." He said.

Hermione's eyebrow quirked upwards. A deal? What could he possibly offer her? It was besides the point that she was thinking the same thing, however, there was no reason to let him know that.

Lucius pulled out a copy of the divorce papers and pushed them across the desk to her. Hermione's eyes widened at them. "If you sign these and give them to my son in a week's time, I will give you 10 million galleons. You will not have to worry about money for the rest of your life and can live comfortably doing whatever you choose."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Lord Malfoy, I'm afraid that I cannot be bought off." She said angrily and insulted that he thought she would take his money.

Lucius waved his hand dismissively. "Then use the money to give to charity. 10 million galleons can go a long way. I don't really care what you do with it." Lucius had decided to change tactics. If he couldn't get his son to do anything, maybe he could get her to sacrifice the marriage for the good of the world. She certainly seemed self-righteous enough to do so.

Hermione thought about that for a moment. She could have 10 million galleons to give to the charity of her choice. She could do so much good with that. "Why the time limit? Why a week?" She asked suspiciously.

Lucius' eyes narrowed, her questions digging into an area he wanted to keep to himself. "That doesn't really matter. But all in all, the sooner this is resolved, the better."

Hermione couldn't help but feel there was something else behind the time limit but couldn't put her finger on it. There really weren't any pressing time constraints on either one of them so why was he pushing so hard. He obviously had talked to Draco already and she knew he talked to Pansy. Obviously, something was up if he had resorted to talking with her.

She decided to bluff to see what would happen. "Well, I've been reading about various options for women in my situation and perhaps there's a chance I could be healed."

"No!" He yelled quickly but then calmed down. "A week is all you get. Otherwise you get nothing." He said, challenging her to try to delay the terms again. "Well?"

Hermione rose from her seat, the wheels in her head turning. Something did not seem right. Could it be that he really just wanted to get rid of her. He never did like her after all.

"I'll consider what you said." She said as she got up and took the stack of papers from his desk. She turned and left the room. As she walked back down to her library she thought about what he said. And, if she was planning on leaving anyway, why not take the money and do some good with it?

***************

Blaise looked at his best friend worriedly. Draco had never been one to let his appearance falter but these days it seemed like he was barely keeping it together. The skin around his eyes were dark from lack of sleep, his hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in days. His shirt was wrinkled and his normally pale skin looked practically transparent. He knew the past month had been hard on him and his current appearance was a testament to that.

"I don't know what to do." Draco said, staring ahead.

"Well, what are your options?" Blaise asked, hoping to be at least a sounding board for ideas.

Draco looked at him wearily. "I can stay with her and end the Malfoy line with me. Or I can leave her and attempt to remarry."

Blaise nodded. "Are you really considering staying with her?"

Draco looked up at the ceiling and let out a breath. "How can I leave her when this is all practically my fault?" For the first time in his life, he felt guilty, truly guilty. Sure, he had regretted his actions during his stint with the Death Eaters but he could rationalize that he had no choice. But this time, he couldn't rationalize anything. He lowered his head as he thought about how Hermione would have been better if she had never married him.

Blaise was taken aback slightly. He had known that Draco had felt bad about the about the predicament, but wasn't aware of the guilt. "How is this situation your fault?"

Draco sighed. "First, that bloody witch was my ex-fiancee. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't have ever even given a second thought to Hermione."

Blaise looked at him critically. "You must know that that's not your fault. You have no responsibility for Astoria's actions."

"And we were having a row prior to it all." Draco continued as if Blaise hadn't said anything. "If we weren't bloody fighting, she would never have stormed out of the café and she wouldn't have been on the street without me."

Blaise raised his eyebrow. He wasn't aware of any argument. "What was the row about?"

Draco shook his head. "Nothing important now."

"Well, what are you going to do then?" Blaise asked his confused mate.

"I don't know. I have a responsibility to my family to have children. And that has been around a lot longer than my wife. But I would feel like a downright arse if I left her." Draco lamented.

Blaise considered his situation. "Which one do you think you would regret more down the road? Not having any children or staying married out of guilt?"

"It's not just guilt." Draco mumbled. And it was true. He knew that he cared for her far more than he ever admitted before.

"Do you love her?" Blaise asked curiously. If he did, the situation was a lot more complicated that he expected.

Draco paused for a moment. "I think so."

"You think so?" Blaise asked sarcastically.

"Look, things have been difficult. We barely talk. She goes to bed early, I go to bed late. She wakes up and goes to work before I do. I don't know where we are right now." Draco said exasperatedly.

Blaise looked at his best friend sympathetically. "I'm sorry, mate. I know it has been tough. Maybe, though, you need to actually talk to your wife."

Draco ran his hand through his hair. "I know. I just don't know what to say to her."

"Maybe tell her the truth. Tell her how you feel. She's a smart witch, I'm sure she knows the situation you're in." Blaise offered.

Draco nodded his head while rubbing his forehead. "You're right."

Blaise paused for a moment. "One question though." Draco looked up at him curiously. "If you didn't feel any responsibility for what happened, if it wasn't your ex-fiancée, if you weren't fighting, if you didn't feel guilty, and you just found out that she couldn't bear children, would you remain married?"

Draco eyebrows knitted together in thought. "I don't know." He said finally.

Blaise nodded at his answer. "Just don't use your guilt as an excuse, Draco. No one will be happy if you do that."

*************

Hermione sat on the chair in front of the fireplace in her bedroom. She had decided that she needed to talk to Draco, to tell him how she felt, to tell him what Pansy said to her. She didn't want to postpone the inevitable any longer, it just didn't seem fair. And there was the money to think about. Even if it was just bribe money, it could do a lot of good in the world.

She knew that Draco usually came to bed late, hoping that she would be asleep by the time he came in. She figured waiting up for him was the best way to go. She could feel her stomach do flips as she thought about the conversation that was coming up and the feeling of dread washed over her like a heavy shroud. But what else could she do?

For as long as she could remember, she was always the type to give things up for others. Whether it was her 7th year at Hogwarts to look for horcruxes, or if it was possibly her life when she tried to warn Harry of basilisks, or even when she sent her parents to Australia with their memories modified. Now, she could give the gift of parenthood to two people who meant a great deal to her and greatly help a charity or two. She let out a long sigh as she thought about it. Just because she lost her chance at being a parent didn't mean she had to doom Draco to that, too.

She still couldn't shake the feeling that Lucius was hiding something. She felt like there was something missing to the puzzle but couldn't figure out what. She read about the marriage law and couldn't find anything that mentioned a time constraint for newly divorced couples. In fact, it said that if you got divorced, you had no obligation to remarry. She felt like she was missing something important and it was nagging at the back of her mind. But, she wouldn't let that deter her from what she knew she needed to do.

So, she continued to sit and wait for her husband.

Draco entered the bedroom quietly, not wanting to wake his wife. As he stepped into the room though, he noticed she was sitting in front of the fireplace, apparently waiting for him. He sighed as he closed the door behind him. He knew that she was aware of his presence but hadn't looked over at him yet. He could feel his stomach drop as he saw how intently she stared at the fire. Finally he gathered the courage to start walking again and walked over to her, sitting in the chair across from her.

Hermione sighed as he sat down. She opened her mouth and found no words coming out of it. She swallowed thickly before trying again. "Draco, we need to talk." Hermione said quietly, looking down at her hands.

He nodded as he waited silently for her to continue.

* * *

**A/N: WOW! Over 300 reviews! You guys really are fabulous, just so you know. I can't tell you how much I appreciate the encouragement. It seemed a lot of people enjoyed my last chapter as sad it was. There seems to be a pretty big divide on whether or not to like Pansy. Let me say a couple of things about that: she really wants to be a mother and I know people who would do ANYTHING to be able to have a child. So, keep that in mind. But at the same time, there was a reason she was sorted into Slytherin. Hehe. I hope you guys like the direction I'm taking this story, I really didn't want it to be smooth sailing for our couple and I hope that I'm keeping this interesting. Again, thank you so much for your support. PLEASE keep reviewing and I'll keep updating. Deal? :-) ~Chrissy**


	19. Chapter 19

Hermione took a deep breath. "I know what's going on. I know your parents have been pressuring you to leave me. And I know that having children is incredibly important to you." She said slowly, her voice shaking. "I'm not sure it's really fair to you to stay in this marriage."

Draco looked at her and tilted his head slightly. "Wouldn't that be for me to decide?"

Hermione shook her head. "Are you planning on leaving me?"

Draco exhaled loudly. "I don't know, Hermione. There are so many things to consider."

"You can't really be considering ending the Malfoy line because of me?" She said, tears in her eyes.

Draco shrugged. "I'm considering all the options right now." He said impassively.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Look, how long do you plan on stringing me along? How long do you think you can continue to waffle on this important issue?"

"I'm aware, don't you think I know that?" He said shaking his head. "And I'm not stringing you along, for Merlin's sake. I'm trying to figure out what to do!"

Hermione's eyes softened. "Have you talked to Pansy?"

Draco's eyebrows knitted together. "What in the bloody hell does Pansy have to do with any of this?" He asked incredulously.

Hermione sighed. "She approached me about the idea of marrying you so that the two of you could have children."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "How come I no longer have any say in who I get to be married to?" He said angrily.

"No, it's not like that. She just wanted to know if I would be okay with it. She said that if I didn't approve that she would just let it go. She's desperate for a baby, Draco. Don't be angry with her." Hermione explained exasperatedly.

"So, are you? Are you okay with it? Are you willing to just hand me over to Pansy?" He spat. "Are you trying to say that you're done with me?"

"I'm just saying that it might be for the best. Both of you would get what you want: a child." She said quietly.

Draco stood up quickly. "You have no idea what I want!" He yelled.

"I know you want a child. And I know that I can't give that to you." Hermione stated calmly, trying to not let her emotions overrun her.

Draco looked down at his wife's face and he saw how much this all hurt her, too. He could only imagine the amount of heartache she has gone through thinking this over and truly admitting to herself that children were not in her future. He sat back down and for the first time in a month, he took her hands in his. "What do you want to do?" He asked carefully.

Hermione's blinked back tears as his liquid silver eyes bore into her chocolate ones. "I don't think we're compatible anymore." She said softly, a distinct quiver in her voice. She looked away from him, unable to look him in the eyes as she said it. It was truly the hardest thing she had ever said in her entire life. And perhaps the biggest lie.

Draco instantly deflated as he let go of her hands. "If that's what you want, I won't keep you." He said dejectedly. The words hurt him more than he could have ever imagined. He closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them and looking at her. It looked as if she would start crying at any moment and he couldn't figure out how she could look so sad when it was her decision.

Hermione's heart broke to see him like this. Slowly she got up and went to her dresser. She pulled out the divorce papers and handed them to him. "Please, sign this." She said as she looked away.

Draco took the divorce papers and sighed. He started to flip through them when something suddenly occurred to him. "You filed for the paperwork already?" He asked incredulously.

Hermione shuffled her feet. "Well, uh, no. Your father had them made up for me." She said sheepishly.

Draco got up and went over to his dresser and pulled out identical papers. "He did the same for me." He said as he handed her the papers.

Her eyebrows went up in surprise and her lips puckered together. "So he gave them to both of us."

Draco looked at her carefully. "Why would my father choose to ask you to leave me?"

"He said that you seemed reluctant to leave me so he attempted to get me to do it." She said as she looked down at the papers.

"I know my father. He would only do that if he thought he had something that you wanted. Did he offer you anything?" He asked thoughtfully.

Hermione blushed a little. "He offered me 10 million galleons."

Draco's eyes widened. "You were going to leave me for money?" Draco asked incredulously.

"No! I was going to donate it to charity." She answered back defensively.

Draco nodded his head. That made more sense, he knew that appealing to her self-righteousness was a sure fire way to get her to consider something. He thought about it carefully. "So, he bribed you to leave me so that you could help the world. My father would never be so giving. There must have been something else."

Hermione thought for a moment when a memory occurred to her. "He told me that in order to get the money, I had to get you to sign the papers in a week. For some reason, I felt like he was trying to rush the whole thing."

Draco's eyes lit up. "When he talked to me, he was very keen on getting this done as quickly as possible."

Hermione's mind started working. She smiled as she felt herself trying to solve things again. "There must be a timeline of some sort. There must be a reason he wants us apart as quickly as possible."

Draco nodded, feeling good about it. "But why would our divorce need to be rushed? What could he possibly get out of it?"

Hermione thought some more. "He must be hiding something, Draco. There must be something that he doesn't want us to find out together so the quicker we're separate, the quicker he doesn't have to worry about it."

Draco nodded. "But what would only have consequences if we stayed together?" He asked, the wheels in his head turning.

Both of their eyes shot up. "The baby!" They said in unison. Both were silent, absorbing the connotations of the whole situation.

Hermione ran her hand through her hair. "We need to find out what's going on before we make any decisions."

"Agreed." Draco said nodding his head. "I'll try to talk to my father and get some information out of him. We can't let him know that we're suspicious."

Hermione nodded. "Alright and I'll gather some information. I'm going to do some research on my diagnosis and try to get in touch with Healer Williams." She sighed. "I should have done this a long time ago."

Draco looked up and took her hand. "It's okay, but we're going to figure it out. We can still work as a team, right?"

Hermione smiled for the first time in a month. "Yes, we're still a team."

**************

Draco walked down the hallway slowly, thinking over everything he was to say. It took them a few days to come up with a decent plan and Hermione had owled St Mungo's to try to get information from them as well. HE smiled as he thought about them getting along again. Now that they had a common goal again, things weren't so tense between them. He stopped short of the door he was looking for and took a deep breath before he continued.

"Father." Draco said as he walked into Lucius' study.

Lucius' eyes looked up from the paper he was writing on and put the quill aside. "Yes? Did you finally get your wife to sign the paperwork?" He said, cutting straight to the point.

Draco shook his head, remembering the plan they came up with. "No, Father. We are considering staying married for a while long while we decide how we want to go on with our futures."

Lucius stood up quickly. "That's nonsense!" He boomed. "You should not be postponing such things! You need to decide now!"

Draco's eyebrow rose as he saw the vehemence in his father's words. "Father, we're both fairly young. I will be able to have children for quite a while. Surely a few months or so is of no real consequence."

"I just believe that decision to be very unwise." Lucius stated coldly.

"We were considering going back to St. Mungo's to talk to that healer again to see if he could think of any options for us." Draco said dismissing his father's last statement.

Lucius' eyes widened. The last thing he needed was for them to go back to St. Mungo's. He needed to get them apart before either got over the shock enough to start looking into options. If they went for a second opinion, they would realize the healer lied. "There is no need for that! She is sterile! She cannot be healed!" He said quickly. "Besides, that healer no longer works there!"

Draco's eyebrows rose. "How would you know that, Father?"

Lucius realized his slip and backtracked quickly. "I recently inquired at St. Mungo's to see if he still worked there, to try to be of some help to the situation. They informed me he did not." He lied smoothly.

Draco became very suspicious at his father's words. He would never willingly look into something that didn't benefit him. And Draco knew that keeping Hermione around was not considered beneficial to the patriarch of the family. "How gracious of you, Father." He said coolly.

Lucius waved his hand dismissively. "Well, yes, you must know that above all things an heir is most important, despite who it comes from." He continued his lie.

Draco nodded his head, not believing a word from his mouth. "Well, I shall continue to consider all the things you have said and attempt to come to terms with a plan for the future promptly." He said, knowing that the words would appease his father temporarily.

Lucius nodded his head. "Very well. Remember, Draco, the quicker you come to your conclusion, the better it will be for all involved."

Draco inclined his head slightly and turned to leave the room. As he left, a smile grew on his face. Their suspicions had been confirmed. His father was hiding something associated with their lost baby. His stomach dropped at the implications of such a thing but the more he knew the better. He quickly strode down the hallway to the library he shared with his wife. He needed to tell her what he found out so they could brainstorm some more ideas.

* * *

Hermione was in the library, looking up material on her condition. She had read through many books that told her that with surgery, it might be possible to get rid of the scar tissue, but with heavy scarring like the healer mentioned, chances were very small. She closed the book loudly, frustrated at the lack of information. She thought about the last few days and how things have been. She had been getting along with Draco better now, especially since they had something to work towards. Granted, most of their conversations revolved around finding out his father's secrets but at least things were less awkward. She felt like they had found a way around the tense feelings that had been plaguing them for the last month.

A large crack notified her of a house elf's entrance. She looked down to see Bixby holding a silver tray with a piece of paper on top.

"An owl came in for you today, Miss." He said holding out the tray.

"Thank you Bixby." She said as she took the letter. The words "Mrs. Hermione Malfoy" were scrawled on top.

"Yous welcome, Miss." He said as he apparated away.

She opened the letter and read the contents.

_Mrs. Malfoy,_

_We have received your owl asking us to set up an appointment with the healer who attended you during your last stay at St. Mungo's. We regret to inform you that Healer Flogart Williams no longer works here as he had quit a few weeks prior. He has left a forwarding address with the hospital however, so if you would like to send a letter, we can forward it on to him. He has left the country and now resides in America. _

_Regards,_

_Rose Patterson_

_Head Healer_

_St. Mungo's Maternity Ward_

Hermione sat there pondering the note. _He must have left right after I checked out._ She thought to herself.

Draco then entered the room and practically ran to her. "I just talked to my father." He said, a little out of breath from practically running down the hallway. "For some reason, he knows that your healer left."

Hermione's eyes widened at what he said. Silently, she handed him the letter and he read it through quickly, his expression changing to one of shock. "How did he know?"

Hermione shook her head incredulously. "Did you ask him how he knew?"

Draco nodded. "Something about trying to find out if the healer was still there to help with our situation."

"I don't buy it." Hermione stated.

"Me neither." Draco answered immediately.

Hermione thought for a moment. "There has to be some connection between your father and the healer but I can't figure out what it could be."

"The letter said that he left a forwarding address." Draco pointed out.

"Yes, I plan on sending a letter on, asking a few questions." Hermione agreed.

Draco took her hand. "Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this."

She smiled as she nodded. "I know."

* * *

**A/N: And there you go. You didn't think I'd let them completely drop the ball, did you? Hermione and Draco are just too smart for that, as many of you have pointed out. I figured that a month was long enough for them to get over the shock of everything and come to their senses. Now, how are they going to put everything together? Read and find out! Thank you for reviewing! PLEASE continue! It makes me smile and really gets me motivated to write. Somehow, every time I feel like I'm not sure what to write next, I read my reviews and the story comes to me. Don't know how to explain it..but I owe it all to you guys. Thanks again! And please keep on reviewing! ~Chrissy**


	20. Chapter 20

Harry watched Hermione fidget in her seat while looking down at her tea. She was once again sitting across from him at his kitchen table, a cup of tea before both of them. He had to admit she looked better than she had the last time he saw her and was relieved to see that she didn't seem as depressed. She didn't seem like she was planning on starting the conversation any time soon, so he decided to take the initiative.

"How're things going?" Harry asked after a moment.

"Better. Things are going better." Hermione answered. She was still debating how much she wanted to let Harry know but he was her best friend. She felt like she needed someone to talk to other than just Draco and Harry was the best candidate for the job.

"How're things with Malfoy?" Harry asked, encouraged by her response.

"Better." She answered again thinking back on the past week. Things had been better. They got along better; they even had things to talk about again. They hadn't really fought and the awkwardness was going away. Even Draco was starting to look better as well. He was back to caring about his appearance and seemed to be less depressed in general.

Harry eyed her carefully before getting to the point. "So, what would you like to talk about?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Something strange is going on with Lucius." She said quickly. Instantly, she felt herself relax having that out in the air. It was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

Harry quirked an eyebrow. "When is something strange _not_ happening with him?" He asked lightly.

Hermione smiled at that. "True, but I have a feeling something is going on with him in relation to my lost baby."

Harry frowned at that. "He didn't have anything to do with you losing your baby, Hermione." Harry said sympathetically. Automatically he was worried that she was looking for someone to blame for her loss. He looked at her carefully to watch her reaction. He was relieved when he saw her look at him momentarily confused.

Hermione quickly dismissed his line of thinking. "Oh yes, I know that. But some things aren't adding up. He seems really adamant about Draco and me divorcing straight away."

Harry thought about it for a moment. "He's never really like you, you know." He said bluntly.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I'm aware but he's pushing it hard enough that he tried to bribe me."

Harry's eyes widened. Something had to be up if Lucius was willing to try to buy Hermione off. He nodded. "So, what are your theories?" He asked.

"Draco and I are looking into some possibilities. I've owled the hospital and I sent a letter to the healer who attended me while I was there. We're doing some research we should have done a while ago." She answered in an authoritative way. She felt back in her element trying to figure something out and looking for clues. It made her feel like she had a purpose, something she had been distinctly lacking the past month.

Harry smiled. Now this was the Hermione he knew and loved. "Good, I'm glad to hear it." He paused before going on. "It sounds like you and Malfoy are getting on better than before."

Hermione nodded again. "We have something to work towards again. We know how to interact when we're working together. I think we just needed something to pull us out of that stage of awkwardness." She answered.

"So, then, are you two staying together?" Harry asked curiously and cursed himself immediately after it left his mouth. He should've tried to be a little bit more tactful about it since he knew full well that it was a sensitive subject. But all he could do now was wait for her response.

"We've decided to put off that decision until we figure out what's going on." She said carefully. She wasn't quite ready to let him know what Pansy had said to her.

Harry could hear hope mixed in with sadness at the situation in her voice. He knew that she didn't really want to end the marriage but he knew that she was good hearted enough to do it if she felt it was the right thing to do. He nodded his head and gave her a reassuring smile. "That sounds like a smart plan."

Hermione smiled back and Harry felt relieved to see his friend smile again. "We think so."

"You'll let me know what you find out, right?" Harry asked. "And if I can help in any way, I will."

Hermione nodded her head. "I know Harry, that's why I'm telling you now."

Harry came over and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so glad to have you back." He said quietly into her hair.

Hermione smiled. "I am glad to be back."

**********

Flogart Williams sat in his living room, staring down at the piece of parchment in front of him. He ran his hand through his thinning hair and wiped a bead of sweat off his brow. He had quickly moved from London to America, to a state called New Hampshire. They had a need for healers and he had quickly moved to a wizarding community within this green state. He had been able to buy a decent house for him and his wife, his children were already grown and still living in England. He had donated 500,000 galleons to charity for children with illnesses if only to allay his guilt from taking the money in the first place. He enjoyed where he was though it wasn't London. He knew he had to get out of there as soon as he took the money. It would be too risky to stay. He couldn't shake the feeling that one day it would catch up with him and he started to wonder if today was that day.

St. Mungo's had forwarded a letter from his last patient. The patient whose life he had effectively ruined. He had left them with his new address as was customary for people who were leaving the hospital. Sometimes it was essential to get a hold of a healer who had worked with certain patients. He sighed as he read the neatly written letter again.

_Healer Williams,_

_I am Hermione Malfoy, one of your patients at St. Mungo's. I hope that you remember me. I am writing to ask if you had any alternative solutions you could offer that could help with the diagnosis you gave me. I hope that you can offer me some counsel. _

_However, this was not the only reason I'm writing. I have noticed some changes in my father-in-law's demeanor and I would like to warn you that he might have an interest in you. I can't imagine why he would but he seemed to know more about you than would have seemed appropriate. He is a powerful man and I would be wary if I were you. Please keep this warning confidential as I only say anything because it would be wrong for me not to._

_Best Regards,_

_Hermione Malfoy_

Flogart sighed as he put the letter aside. The woman was warning him about the man he took money from to lie to her. How could he not feel bad about that? Lord Malfoy had made sure he skipped town as soon as humanly possible and it seemed that Hermione was starting to catch on to what he had done. That meant the couple was still together, probably much to Lord Malfoy's chagrin.

"Flogart dear, supper's ready!" He heard his wife call from the other room.

"Be right there!" He called back as he grabbed another piece of parchment.

Quickly he penned a response.

_Mrs. Malfoy, _

_Please, seek a second opinion._

_Regards,_

_Flogart Williams_

He quickly summoned his owl and sent it away with the letter. He let out a deep breath and for the first time in a while, he felt good about himself.

**********  
Hermione and Draco were just finishing breakfast in the library when Bixby apparated in to drop off _The Daily Prophet_. Like usual, Draco took the Quidditch section and Hermione read the general news. A few pages in, however, an article caught her eye.

_"Weasley divorce on grounds of domestic violence?!"_ The headline read and Hermione found herself reading the article with interest. There was a picture of the two at what she presumed was their wedding day, him looking somewhat green around the collar in formal dress robes and her looking like she was too good for him in awfully busy white wedding robes.

_Ronald Weasley has petitioned for divorce from his Ministry selected wife Millicent Weasley on the grounds of domestic violence. He arrived at the Ministry with a black eye and stated that his wife had thrown a tantrum when he refused to consider buying a new flat. She had apparently been unhappy with that response and performed a morbilicorpus spell to throw him into the wall. He left without healing the bruise to use as evidence against his wife._

Hermione couldn't help but chuckle. She did feel somewhat bad for Ron but figured it probably worked out in his favor since he now had grounds for a divorce. She wasn't sure how she felt towards him anymore. He had saved her last month and it was true that she forgiven him. She didn't think she was ready to embrace him as a best friend at this point but she certainly did want him to be happy with his life.

Draco looked over at her when he heard her giggle and she handed him the paper with an amused expression. His eyebrows shot up in surprise as he read the article.

"You know, I'm not really surprised. I mean, I didn't think she'd get violent, but I probably would too if I had to live with Weasley." He smirked.

Hermione attempted to glare at him but failed miserably. "Well, at least he's got an out, now."

Draco nodded. "It should be pretty easy for him to get the paperwork set up. He could always use a pensieve as backup." Draco stopped for a moment and thought. "Now that I think about it, I guess looking back at Hogwarts, I could see how she could get violent."

Hermione chuckled again. "I'm sure it's all for the best. What is a black eye to get out of an unwanted marriage?"

Bixby apparated into the room again, this time holding a silver tray with a letter on it. "Another owl for you, Miss." He said holding out the tray to Hermione.

"Thanks Bixby." She said, taking the letter.

"Welcome, Miss." He answered as he apparated away.

Hermione's eyebrows knitted together as she read the letter from Healer Williams. Silently, she handed the letter to Draco who sat across from her. She was disappointed by how short a reply she received but was also confused by its contents.

"Is he saying that he gave me the wrong diagnosis?" She asked aloud.

"It seems that way." Draco answered, putting the letter down on the table.

"But why? Maybe he thinks he made a mistake?" Hermione asked, confusion written over her face.

"Well, let's take his advice and make another appointment." Draco suggested as his mind tried to make sense of the new piece of information.

Hermione nodded her head. "You know, I think I recall Cho Chang becoming a healer at St. Mungo's after Hogwarts. Maybe I'll make an appointment with her."

Draco thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I think that would be wise. It'll be good to have someone you know."

Hermione nodded as she grabbed a piece of parchment and quill. She wrote to St. Mungo's asking them to set up an appointment with Cho Chang within the week. She specified that it would be just a checkup after the incident and didn't require any specialists.

"I'm sure she'll be able to answer my questions. She was always a bright girl." Hermione said.

"She was in Ravenclaw after all." Draco responded.

Hermione called for Bixby and had him send the letter. She sat back confident that she would get to the bottom of all this.

**********

Lucius stood in an alley behind St. Mungo's, waiting impatiently in the shadows. He constantly looked around to make sure no one noticed his presence and tapped his foot against the ground. He had a long black cloak on that contrasted greatly with his silver hair. Finally, he saw a tall lanky man in blue robes walking towards him. The man stopped in front him and gave a curt nod.

"You have some information?" Lucius asked, holding out a small pouch to the man.

The man quickly took the money while looking around to make sure there were no witnesses and hid the pouch within his robes.

"You told me to tell you right away if there were any appointments set up for your son or your daughter-in law." He stated, his eyes constantly shifting.

"Yes." Lucius drawled. "Well, get on with it."

"Hermione Malfoy has an appointment with Healer Cho Chang on Saturday at noon." The man said quickly and quietly.

Lucius growled. This was not good. "What for?"

The man shook his head. "The appointment slip just said it was for a checkup. It offered no details."

"Very well. Continue to keep your ears open." Lucius demanded and the man nodded his head.

The man gave a small bow and quickly darted out of the alley and back to St. Mungo's.

Lucius apparated back to his study and sat down behind his desk. He was very grateful that he kept his sources in St. Mungo's. If there was anything that Lucius was known for, it was being well informed.

He shook his head as he considered the new information. He couldn't let them find out the truth, especially while they were still married. That would ruin everything and he would do anything to make sure everything worked out the way he wanted. A smile graced his face as his mind started thinking of a plan.

* * *

**A/N: Ah, Lucius, whatever are you thinking, now? Hehe. I'm thinking there won't be too many more chapters after this as I'm going to wrap this one up soon...but maybe not _that_ soon. :-) I have everything planned out in my head so it's just a matter of writing it all down. I'm starting to think about a couple of ideas for my next story already. I have a couple of ideas floating around in my head, we'll see which one is more substantial by the time this story is done. THANK YOU all for all the wonderful reviews! PLEASE keep going. ~Chrissy**


	21. Chapter 21

Lucius waited in the alley impatiently, obscured by the shadows. His contact had told him that Cho Chang usually took lunch at 11:30 so that she could be back by her noon appointments. He watched the door to St. Mungo's vigilantly looking for the Asian girl. His fingers twirled his wand in his right hand, waiting to be used.

A couple walked through the doors and a wizard with sandy blond hair came out as well. He was about to looked elsewhere when he saw black hair behind the blond wizard and soon he could see the witch clearly. She was a petite girl and was wearing dark blue healer robes as she walked out across the street towards him. She must have been thinking about something since it didn't look like she was particularly paying attention to where she was going. As she started to pass the alley, Lucius called out quietly.

"Cho Chang." He whispered, barely loud enough so that she could hear it.

Cho stopped quickly and looked around, trying to find the voice. Her eyebrows knit in confusion as she didn't she didn't see anyone.

"Cho Chang." Lucius whispered a little louder and he saw the girl look down the alleyway.

Carefully she took a step forward, her eyes darting around. "Who's there?" She asked, hearing her voice echo off the walls. She took one more step forward, coming into the building's shadow and then looked hesitant. She decided that this wasn't the best idea and turned around quickly.

As soon as he saw her start to turn, Lucius stepped forward. "Petrificus Totalus." He said quietly, his arm stretched in front of him. His spell hit his mark as Cho suddenly stopped and stood very still.

Quickly, he grabbed her, pulling her farther into the shadows. She looked at him with wide eyes and he could see the fear in them. "Fear not, I am not here to hurt you." Lucius said quietly to the girl as he grabbed her by the arm. "In fact, I'm afraid I'm in need of your assistance."

Quickly, he turned on the spot and apparated straight into his study. He threw her down on to his couch and appraised her. Her eyes were still frightened but she was stiff as a board. Quickly he bent down and ripped a couple of hairs off her head. He saw her eyes wince at the slight pain and then recover. He walked over to his desk and reached into his drawer, pulling out a bottle full of a thick brown potion.

Cho watched everything, her mind trying to figure out what was going on. She knew that it was polyjuice potion in his hand but couldn't figure out why he would want to be her. She thought about what Lucius Malfoy could possibly be interested in. Hermione! She thought quickly! That was her next patient. Her eyes narrowed as she realized what she was being used for.

Lucius looked at the potion disgustingly. "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." He mumbled to himself. He then looked at Cho whose eyes had changed from frightened to curious. "Well, I see that I'm going to have to obliviate you when I get back. You're far too observant." He said to her.

He threw her hairs into the potion and watched as the potion turn to a dark purple color and bubbled. He walked over to her holding the bottle and explained. "You see, your next patient is of some interest to me."

He looked at the potion and quickly drank the contents of it, grimacing at that taste. Suddenly, he could feel himself shrinking and watched as the skin on his hand became tan and his hair became darker and longer. His clothes had become too large for him and he walked over to a closet where he pulled out dark blue healer robes. He quickly put them on and stood back in front of her.

Cho's eyes widened a she looked at the carbon copy of herself. The girl, well man, looked exactly like her. She saw her doppelganger smirk which looked unnatural on her face and she felt her stomach clench.

"Now, I have something I need to take care of. I'm afraid your next patient's previous diagnosis is going to be true after all." Lucius said in Cho's voice. "If you will excuse me." And with that he apparated away.

**************

Hermione paced around the library, nervous about her appointment. She didn't know what Cho could possibly tell her. Maybe she was healed. Maybe the previous diagnosis was wrong. Maybe they mixed up her test results with someone else's. Maybe they wouldn't need to separate. Maybe…

"Would you please just sit down already? You remind me of our wedding day." Draco drawled from his seat by the fireplace.

Hermione smirked. "Are you saying that you were pacing nervously on our wedding day?" She asked as she sat down across from him.

"Of course, I was. I was driving Blaise loony." Draco reminisced. He recalled the day clearly. He couldn't stand still the entire hour before the ceremony started.

Hermione chuckled. "Yes well, I fairly certain I was doing that to Ginny as well." She thought back to the day, remembering going between extreme nervousness and the overwhelming desire to cry.

"It seems so long ago, doesn't it?" Draco said, realizing that his wedding day was only 7 months ago.

"It certainly has been eventful." Hermione answered.

Draco nodded when a question came to his mind. "Do you regret it?" He asked carefully.

Hermione looked up startled. She wasn't expecting that question. She looked him straight in the eye when she answered. "No."

Draco's eyes widened slightly at the answer but then a small smile graced his face. "Neither do I." He confessed.

Hermione smiled back. After a moment of silence she looked up at the clock. "Oh, I guess I should be going. It's almost time for my appointment." She said as she got up from the chair and walked to Draco. "Thanks for the distraction from my nervousness." She bent over and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"No problem." He said, smiling at her. "Are you sure you wouldn't like me to go with you?"

Hermione smiled. "No, it's alright. It's something I think I'd like to do on my own." She answered honestly.

"Very well. I'll be waiting here then." Draco responded.

Hermione smiled as she walked over to the fireplace and floo'd to St. Mungo's. She came out in the reception area and went straight over the desk.

"Hello. I'm Hermione Malfoy. I have an appointment at noon with Healer Cho Chang." She said to the witch behind the counter.

The witch looked up and then at the files in front of her and picked one up. "Hello, Mrs. Malfoy. Healer Chang should be returning from lunch any moment now. Please wait in room 347 and she should be in shortly." The secretary answered and smiled warmly, motioning down the hall.

"Thank you." Hermione answered as she started to walk down the hall her stomach clenching at what might be the result of this visit.

Nervousness was starting to creep back in to her stomach and she read all the room numbers she passed. 341, 343, 345, 347. She opened the door to see an examining table in the middle of the room. She went over and sat on top of it, fidgeting with her hands as she waited for her healer.

She tried to stay calm but something about being in the hospital again was starting to get to her. She looked around the examining room, at the white walls, the painting of a cottage by the sea where the waves were moving, and there was a pamphlet on top of a counter on how to stay healthy. She was starting to wish she had Draco come with her when the door opened.

"Hi, Cho. It's great to see you again!" Hermione said nervously as the healer walked into the room.

"Hermione. What can I do for you today?" The doppelganger responded stiffly.

Hermione noticed Cho's voice seemed strained but continued anyway. "Well, you see, I was here about a month ago and was told that I couldn't have any more children. I've decided to come in for a second opinion." She said concisely.

A grin appeared on Cho's face that unsettled Hermione. "Well, why don't you lie down on the table and we'll have a look."

Hermione felt something was off but figured it was just her nerves. She gave a small smile and laid back against the examining table.

The healer walked over to her and pulled out her wand. "This may feel a little strange." She warned the patient, an unnatural smirk appearing on her face.

*****************

Draco sat in the library impatiently waiting for his wife to come back home. She had only just left a few minutes before but he felt like she had been gone an hour already. He knew he lacked patience but he imagined anyone would be impatient in this situation.

He thought about the implications of the diagnosis being wrong. They wouldn't need to get divorced. They could try to have children again, granted not right away, but in the future. He smiled at the fact that they were getting along better again. The last month had certainly been hellish. And the idea of marrying Pansy well, made his stomach churn. He shuddered at the thought.

A loud crack made Draco aware of the house elf in front of him. Bixby stood there, looking down with a frown on his face. He looked like he couldn't decide what he wanted to do. "Yes, Bixby?" Draco asked the elf.

Bixby looked up at him, wringing his hands together. He knew he would be punished for what he was about to do and had the sudden urge to throw his head against the floor. It was years ago that Draco had told him that punishing himself wasn't needed, but old habits die hard. He swallowed before he started talking. "Oh, Master Draco, Lord will be very very angry at Bixby. Yes he will. I should not say anything. No I should not. But I have to tell Master Draco." He said, rambling on.

Draco looked at his house elf carefully. He knew that Bixby cared for him more than anyone else in the family and therefore was more loyal to him as well. He knew the elf always had his best interest in mind. "What is it, Bixby?" He asked the obviously stressed house elf.

"Lord's study, Master Draco. You must go now. Hurry." The house elf managed to get out before getting a terrified look on his face. "Please Master Draco, go!"

Draco looked at his elf confused but nodded. His father must be summoning him again, though he couldn't imagine why. "Okay, Bixby, I'll go now." He said in a placating tone to the elf. He stood up and immediately left the library.

Draco walked slowly down the hall not looking forward to another conversation with his father, but a feeling in his stomach was telling him something wasn't quite right. He picked up his pace and finally made it to his father's study. He knocked on his door and then entered quickly. He was surprised to not see him at his desk. Why would his father summon him to his study and then not be here. Confused, he turned around to leave when something caught his eye on the couch. He turned fully to see Cho Chang lying there completely still, her eyes obviously trying to tell him something. His eyebrows knitted together, confused by the sight before him.

"Finite Incantatem!" He said, pulling his wand out and pointing it at Cho.

Cho promptly fell off the couch and quickly scrambled onto her knees. "Draco, you need to get to the hospital." She said quickly.

"What are you doing in my Father's study?" Draco asked confused at seeing her here.

"He had polyjuice potion. He's pretending to be me." She explained as she stood up. "Hermione is my next patient."

Draco's eyes widened at the realization that his father was now alone with his wife. "Bixyby!" He called out quickly.

Bixby apparated in front of him. "Yes, Master Draco?"

"Alert the aurors now! Tell them to go to St. Mungo's. Hermione's in danger!" The words rushed out of him in one breath.

Bixby's eyes widened but he nodded and apparated away.

Draco quickly grabbed Cho by the arm and turned on the spot. They appeared in the alley next to St. Mungo's and proceeded to run to the building. "We need to get to her. Her appointment was 5 minutes ago." Draco panted as he ran in front of her.

Cho nodded her agreement. "I don't understand. What is he doing? He said something about making sure the previous diagnosis was true." She said breathing hard.

Draco stopped and Cho ran into his back. "What did you say?" He said as he turned to face her.

Cho looked at him carefully before answering. "He said that he was going to make sure her previous diagnosis was true."

Draco cursed. "Damn him! He knew it was false! He knew that she was able to have children!" His eyes widened at what she implied. "He's going to hurt her. He's going to make sure she can't have children."

Cho's expression changed to one of shock. "But why…" She trailed off.

"We don't have time." Draco said, turning to run again.

With more urgency than before, he ran through the doors of St. Mungo's with Cho hot on his heels.

"This way!" She said, pointing down a hallway. They ran past the receptionist's desk when Hermione's scream broke through the air.

* * *

**A/N: You know, now that I'm starting to wrap up this story, it's kinda sad. It's hard to let it go! But anyway, hope that you enjoyed the chapter. For my third story, I'm trying to decide if I want to write another post-Hogwarts story or if I want to do a during Hogwarts one. Decisions, decisions. :-) Anyway, THANKS for all the reviews! Please keep reviewing! It really helps me out! ~Chrissy**


	22. Chapter 22

Draco's eyes went wide at the sound of Hermione's scream. His body seemed to take on a life of its own as he pushed himself harder than ever before. "Which room?" He yelled out frantically to Cho.

Cho couldn't keep up with him. He was moving ridiculously fast. "347!" She yelled back while trying to keep up.

Draco drew his wand out as he threw himself into the room. He took in the sight, a girl healer leaning towards Hermione, a red light coming out of her wand and directed at Hermione's stomach. "Expelliarmus!" He yelled at the girl in blue robes in front of him. His spell hit its target and the wand landed in his hand. He looked past Cho's doppelganger to see Hermione lying on the table, holding her stomach, tears in her eyes.

"Draco!" Hermione whimpered from the table.

The doppelganger seemed surprised as her wand went flying out of her wand. It all happened so fast. She turned around to see a very angry Draco Malfoy staring at her.

Draco was breathing heavily in the doorway. "Father." Draco spat, his wand still pointed at the healer in front of him.

Cho ran into the room, almost running into Draco again. She saw Draco pointing his wand towards her double and Hermione lying on the table in obvious pain. She then pointed her wand at her look alike as well.

The doppelganger then spread out her hands, realizing there was nothing she could do. A sly smile graced her face. "I was doing this for you, son. I could not let you waste your life on her!" He reasoned while motioning in Hermione's direction.

Draco looked at Hermione briefly, not wanting to take his eyes off of his father. "What did you do to her?!" He yelled as he walked towards Hermione, his wand still drawn.

"What I should have done in the first place!" He yelled back. "You're too good for that mudblood! Now let me go before anyone else shows up!"

"No! You're not going anywhere! You are not going to get away with nearly killing my wife!" Draco screamed emotionally.

"Do not be foolish, Draco." Lucius warned. "Let me pass."

"No." Draco said sternly.

Harry then ran in with another auror right behind him. "What's going on?" He asked. A look of confusion passed through his face as he realized there were two Cho Changs in the room. Immediately, he saw that Draco and one of the Cho Changs were pointing their wands at a disarmed Cho Chang and he quickly figured out what happened. Draco looked angry, his hair everywhere and beads of sweat forming on his brow. The Cho with the wand was panting from exertion but was holding her wand steadily. He saw Hermione curled up and whimpering in pain on the examination table. He raised his wand at the wandless Cho. "Well?"

Draco relaxed slightly when he saw the aurors enter the room. He could finally take his eyes off his father and take care of Hermione. "Cho, please, look over Hermione!" Draco called out, ignoring Harry's question completely.

Cho nodded as she lowered her wand. She decided to give Harry the short story since she was in the middle of a medical emergency. "Harry, that's Lucius Malfoy. He was trying to harm Hermione while impersonating me." She said as she rushed to Hermione's side.

Hermione still had tears in her eyes, the pain of something stabbing her stomach still fresh in her mind. She looked down and couldn't see any physical damage and that only worried her more. She felt the pain cloud her vision and her mind as she tried desperately to hang on to consciousness. She had curled up into a ball, protecting her stomach and trying to fight through the pain. She watched as Harry and the other auror went over to Cho's doppelganger with their wands drawn and binded Lucius with a spell. Lucius fell over to the floor while cursing his son from across the room. Then, Cho was quickly at her side, lying her down on her back and performing a spell on her stomach. It seemed like a picture of her insides was floating above her stomach and Cho quickly looked it over.

"Well, it seems he was able to do some damage but not too much. We're going to have to keep you and try to undo what he did." She said authoritatively, her healer training coming to the forefront.

Draco stood there watching Cho work. "Is she going to be ok?" He asked quietly.

Cho's eyebrows knitted together as she continued to assess the situation. "I think so." Cho said, smiling briefly at him before going back to work.

Harry then cleared his throat. "Lucius Malfoy, you're under arrest for impersonating a witch with intent to harm, assaulting an unarmed witch, and kidnapping in the first degree." Harry said grabbing Cho's double by the arm. Harry then looked at Draco. "I'll be back later to see how things are. I'm going to bring him to the Ministry."

Lucius attempted to struggle but the binds were too tight. "I was doing what was for the best of the family, Draco! I did not raise you to be a mudblood lover!" Lucius yelled in Cho's voice.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Actually, I would say that it's for the best of the family that I didn't turn out the way you raised me." He spat.

Lucius narrowed his eyes at his son. "You are a foolish foolish boy." He spat back.

With a pop, the two aurors and Lucius apparated out of the building. Draco sighed and then took Hermione's hand as Cho continued to look her over.

Cho then went over to the counter and pulled out a bottle with a blue potion in it. "Drink this; it will help with the pain." She said as she uncorked the bottle and helped Hermione drink it.

Hermione drank it quickly and was immediately thankful. The potion unclouded her vision and the pain was brought down to a bearable level. When she felt like she could think more clearly, she finally was able to start asking questions. "What did he do?" She asked softly, looking down at her stomach.

Cho sighed. "He tried to cause internal damage. He's not a healer, so he didn't know what he was doing and had cast a spell that didn't specifically target what he was looking for. He damaged your liver a little and your large intestine, but it shouldn't be anything we can't heal. I would like to move you to an inpatient room and keep you over night while we try to patch you up." She said with a small smile that she hoped was reassuring.

Hermione absorbed the information and realized that she hadn't answered the most important question. "So, I can still have children?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

Cho smiled. "Yes, you can."

Hermione felt Draco squeeze her hand and she looked up at him. He smiled down at her with such adoration that it caused her entire body to tingle.

****************

Harry stared at Hermione's hospital door, unsure of what he would find behind it. Either she would still be able to have children and they would be happy or Lucius had taken that away from them for sure and they would be miserable. He grasped the bouquet of flowers in his hand a little harder as he tried to ready himself for both possibilities.

He opened the door with a deep breath and found Hermione sitting up in bed with Draco sitting in a chair next to her. They were holding hands and she seemed to be smiling as they chatted. Harry let out the breath he was holding, now knowing what the results were.

He stepped forward and closed the door behind him. "Hey, Hermione. How're you feeling?" He asked, bringing the flowers over to her.

Hermione looked up and smiled at him. "Hello Harry. I'm feeling much better and thank you for the flowers." She said as he put them on the counter. She saw him look at her curiously and she nodded. "I'm fine. He didn't cause any lasting damage. And I'm still able to have children." She beamed.

Harry took the seat next to Draco and nodded at him. "Hi Malfoy." He said and Draco nodded as a response.

"So, what did you find out from my father?" Draco asked, immediately getting to the point.

Harry looked at him. His hair was still a mess but was looking better than he was earlier. He rubbed his forehead tiredly and sighed. "Well, we had to use veritaserum on him as he wasn't willing to talk to us." Harry explained.

Draco nodded, unsurprised by his statement. "I wouldn't imagine as much."

"As it turned out, he bribed your previous healer to lie to you and your inability to conceive. He was hoping you two would divorce before you found out the truth." He explained to Hermione. "When it became clear that you would find out prior to then, he kidnapped Cho, used polyjuice potion and attempted to make you sterile himself. And that's where Draco comes in."

Hermione's eyes widened. "But the healer is the one who told me to get a second opinion!" She thought about it for a bit. "He must have felt bad about it. That's why he sent me that letter." She said, putting the pieces together.

"Right. And since he's out of the country, the Ministry isn't going to bother going after him. They figure that he isn't really a threat and had found a rather large donation to a local charity shortly before he left." Harry said, nodding his head.

"What's going to happen to my father?" Draco asked quietly.

Harry looked at him. "Well, he goes before the Wizengamot in a week. He will more than likely be sent to Azkaban for a minimum of 10 years. There's the possibility of more if they decide that it was attempted murder."

Draco nodded his head. "Good. I'd be rather pleased if I didn't see him again." He said sternly.

Hermione squeezed his hand in reassurance and smiled at him. He smiled back at her warmly.

The door opened and Narcissa walked in, rushed to Draco and wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, Draco, please believe me, I had no idea what he was doing!" She said in a shaky breath.

Draco stood up and hugged his mother back. "I didn't think you did." He answered honestly.

Narcissa untangled herself from her son and then walked over to Hermione. She looked down at her without any malice. "I am so sorry. I would never wish what my husband tried to do to you upon another woman." She said contritely. "Especially family."

Hermione's head snapped up at the last two words and saw Narcissa give her a small smile. "Thank you." She said sincerely.

Narcissa nodded her head. "Your room will be ready for you when you return." She said politely. She paused for a moment before continuing. "And, maybe we could have a cup of tea together after you get settled in."

Hermione smiled. She looked over at Draco whose eyebrows had risen and his eyes were wide in surprise. "I think I would really like that." She said, accepting the offer of friendship from her mother in law.

Narcissa nodded. "Well, I came by as soon as I heard what happened and wanted to make sure you're ok. I hear that you are in fact, good as new."

Hermione nodded back. "Yes. Lucius didn't do any irreparable damage and I am still able to have children."

Narcissa smiled. "I'm glad. Well, I'll let you get your sleep. I'll see you tomorrow when you come…" She paused for a moment while deciding how to end it. "…home." She smiled softly then quickly turned and left the room.

Harry sat there stunned through the whole thing. After he recovered, he let out a low whistle. "Was that really your mother, Malfoy?" He asked incredulously.

Draco nodded with something akin to pride in his eyes. "Yes, that was."

Harry smiled as he saw the couple look at each other longingly. "Well, I'm afraid I need to go. I still have some paperwork I need to file back at the office." Harry said, standing up. "But I will come visit again, soon." He promised as he bent over to give Hermione a kiss on the cheek.

Hermione smiled at her best friend. "Thank you, Harry." Hermione answered.

"Anytime, Hermione." He replied as he walked away. "Good night, Malfoy."

"G'night, Potter." Draco said as Harry left the room.

Draco sat back down next to the bed and took her hand again. He laced his fingers with her and smiled. He looked at her and for the millionth time that night, he was thankful that she was okay.

Hermione watched a look of relief wash over his face. "What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked breaking him out of his reverie.

Draco smiled softly. "I'm just thankful you're alright, that's all." He answered honestly.

Hermione smiled back. "Why Draco, it sounds as if you care about me after all." She teased.

Draco thought about what to say in return but could only come up with one thing. "I do. In fact, I love you." He admitted quietly. He was silent for a moment and then continued his thought. "I don't think I could've actually left you no matter what the outcome of this whole thing was."

Hermione's eyes widened but then a big grin broke out on her face. "I love you, too." She answered.

Another feeling of relief went through him as he heard those words and couldn't help but smile. "So this unfavorable situation had a favorable outcome after all, huh?" He smirked.

Hermione smiled as she thought back to the day they decided to get married. "I guess it's not so much a desperate marriage anymore."

"No, apparently not." Draco answered, smiling at the way things worked out.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there's the happy ending everyone was looking for! :-) I plan on writing an epilogue and then I'm afraid it will be the end of the road. It's been a lot of fun writing this and all you reviewers have been awesome. It seems like another post Hogwarts story has the most support so far, but you still have another chapter to put in your opinion on whether or not my next story should be post or during Hogwarts. :-) Thank you everyone for staying with me through this ride! I couldn't have done it without all of you! I'll try to have the epilogue up soon! ~Chrissy**


	23. Epilogue

Epilogue

Hermione rested her hands on top of her bulging belly. She was sitting in a room surrounded by her friends and family. All around her, everything was blue. Her mother-in-law had gone all out for the occasion, getting blue banners, blue lights, blue balloons, and even going so far as temporarily turning the furniture blue. She smiled as she rubbed her belly and let out a contented sigh.

"Sighing at your own party?" Draco said as he came up behind her and kissed her on the cheek.

Hermione smiled up at her husband. "It was a sigh of contentment, thank you very much." She answered cheekily.

Draco smiled at her warmly. "Good, just want to make sure you aren't worrying yourself. The baby is due soon."

"I'm aware. Trust me; he won't let me forget it." She said, thinking of all the kicking she had to endure for the past month.

"Hello Hermione!" Harry said as he came over to her from across the room.

Hermione went to stand so she could hug him but found herself having trouble getting up. She could hear her husband snickering next to her when Harry came up to her side quickly.

"No, no, stay seated. No need to get up for me." He said as he helped her back in her seat. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before continuing. "Sorry Ginny couldn't come by. She's just as pregnant as you and can barely stand. But she sends her love and she says she can't wait for our children to be playmates."

Draco rolled his eyes but chose not to say anything. Harry gave a quick nod in agreement but Hermione was too busy trying to get comfortable to notice.

"Oh, Harry. Thank you so much for coming." Hermione said, finally settling back in her seat. "Have you seen anyone else?"

"I've just arrived but I think I saw Ron back there." He said, pointing in the general direction from which he came. Over the past year, Hermione was able to truly forgive Ron for what happened and let him back in her life. Not as much as before certainly, but he was there as a friend.

They all looked the way Harry motioned to but when they saw the red head, they noticed he was chatting amicably with a shorter black haired girl. In fact, it looked like it was friendlier than just amicable chatter. Hermione's eyebrows knitted together and she saw a look of shock on both her companions faces.

"I didn't know he was friends with Pansy." Harry said, staring at the couple.

Draco nodded his head. "Me neither. I didn't know they even got along."

They all watched as Ron took the witch's hand and give her a kiss on the cheek. Hermione smiled at the scene before her. "Well, Pansy has been divorced for 6 months now. Maybe it's a good thing." She said as the couple made their way over to them.

"Hey, 'Mione." Ron said with a lopsided smile. "Congratulations and all that."

"Thanks Ron." Hermione said sincerely.

"Oh Hermione! I'm so happy for you!" Pansy squealed. "Have you decided what you're going to name him?"

Hermione looked at Draco, both of them remembering the first argument they had about baby names. Draco bent down to take her hand and she rewarded him with a brilliant smile.

"You see, Hermione wanted a more muggle name for the baby." Draco started to explain.

"And Draco wanted to continue with the family tradition of being named after constellations." Hermione continued. "So, we managed to find a compromise."

"So, what is it? What have you decided?" Pansy asked impatiently.

Hermione smiled up at her husband. "Leo. He will be Leo Malfoy."

Harry smiled warmly at the couple. Never in a million years did he think the couple in front of him would have come so far. "That's a perfect name." He replied and he meant that sincerely.

**The End.**

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**A/N: And that's all folks! Thank you so much for all your support. I'm really happy with the way this story came out and am glad I got to share it all with you. I need to figure out what my next story will be but don't worry, there will definitely be another! ~Chrissy**


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